Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is urging a working group within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to speed up discussions on introducing a selective dual surname system for married couples.
"I will urge them to increase the frequency and maturity of discussions," Ishiba told a parliamentary meeting Monday after Natsumi Sakai of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan called for the early introduction of such a system.
On Monday, the parliament began deliberations on a ¥13.94 trillion supplementary budget bill for fiscal 2024 to finance the Ishiba administration's first comprehensive economic policy package. The government and the ruling parties aim to get the budget bill enacted as early as Dec. 17.
The supplementary budget "needs to be larger than last year's to make steady progress toward overcoming deflation," Ishiba said.
The prime minister emphasized that the extra budget will help secure the necessary funds for aid to areas affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake in January.
Meanwhile, Ken Tanaka of the Democratic Party for the People demanded that the minimum annual taxable income be raised from the current ¥1.03 million in January 2025. In response, Ishiba only said that he wants tax panel chiefs from each party to deepen discussions on the issue.
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