Two months after the opposition took control of the Lower House Budget Committee, the shift is beginning to bite for a weakened Liberal Democratic Party that is wrestling with the dual challenges of a tight budget schedule and stagnating government popularity.
Under these circumstances, Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Jun Azumi ー who as committee chairman has the final say on its calendar and agenda ー is expected to play a prominent role in negotiations over the coming weeks.
The budget committee began deliberations on Friday, and government officials have framed passing the budget for fiscal 2025, which begins in April, in the Lower House by early March as their utmost priority. Earlier in January, LDP parliamentary affairs chief Tetsushi Sakamoto said the party would like to dedicate over 80 hours to budget deliberations over the next month.
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