Abe Orders 2nd Extra Budget

November 20, 2018

Tokyo--Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe instructed his cabinet Tuesday to assemble a second supplementary budget for fiscal 2018, which ends in March next year.

The extra budget is expected to focus on measures to prevent and reduce damage from natural disasters as well as those to help the domestic agriculture industry survive the impact of the Trans-Pacific Partners free trade

Referring to a planned fiscal 2019 full budget, Abe told his ministers that measures will be included to prevent a consumption tax increase set for October next year from denting consumption.

Measures will be taken seamlessly to support the Japanese economy, Abe said.

Natsuo Yamaguchi, head of Komeito, a partner in Abe's ruling coalition, told a press conference that the extra budget needs to include spending on measures to deal with the rubella outbreak in Japan.

Parliament earlier this month passed the 935.6-billion-yen first fiscal 2018 extra budget, designed mainly to finance reconstruction projects in areas hit by a recent series of natural disasters. Jiji Press