Health ministry to seek record budget for FY 2018

August 25, 2017

TOKYO- The Japanese Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said Friday it will make a fiscal 2018 budget request totaling a record 31,429.8 billion yen, up 2.4 percent from the government's budget for fiscal 2017, which started in April.

The ministry's annual budget request will exceed 30 trillion yen for the sixth consecutive year, reflecting a natural increase of 630 billion yen in social security spending in line with the aging of the country's population.

The ministry briefed the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on the budget request.

In funds related to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's initiative on work-style reform, the ministry will request 280 billion yen, up 44.3 percent, including 1.6 billion yen for a project to set up work-style reform facilitation support centers in all prefectures, with the view to realizing equal pay for equal work. Jiji Press