DPJ to delay modifying FY 2009 extra budget until early next year

Tuesday 01st September, 09:29 AM JST

TOKYO —

The Democratic Party of Japan will delay the modification of the 14 trillion yen fiscal 2009 supplementary budget, initially planned this fall, until early next year, party officials said Tuesday. The officials said it is difficult to complete procedures for the planned modification in time for the extraordinary Diet session expected to be convened in October.

The DPJ—which swept to a landslide victory in Sunday’s general election, toppling the long-dominant Liberal Democratic Party—has pledged to modify the supplementary budget compiled by Prime Minister Taro Aso’s Cabinet to counter the global economic downturn. It initially planned to modify the budget in an expected upcoming extraordinary Diet session but now plans to do so in an ordinary parliamentary session early next year while suspending the disbursement of the backlogged 3 trillion yen portion of the budget until that time.

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4 Comments

SEPTIMUS at 11:43 AM JST - 1st September

An interesting tidbit of information; however, it fails to surprise me.
smithinjapan at 03:04 PM JST - 1st September

Hahaha.... only two days after being elected they're already back-peddling. Let's 'predict' the next delays:

1) the DPJ has vowed to 'study' the idea of making highway tolls free, following which they will research ways into deciding if they should do it. A panel will be assembled immediately (via golden parachute to LDP members who quit their party) to study the viability of said study to reduce the highway tolls to nothing.

2) The decision to give each family with young children 26,000 yen per child will be thoroughly examined before a final decision is rendered on whether it can be performed by the end of the DPJ's first four year term, with promises that if they will be elected in 2013 they will definitely look into it further.

3) The abolishment of Amakudari will be immediately analyzed by former politicians, now retired, who have been given a load of cash to assess such ideas. They are composed of the parents of the current politicians, whose grandchildren are preparing to run in the next election.

4) In a joint decision with universities, the DPJ will immediately enact the new SEVEN year teacher training plan. After a few minutes consideration, the SIX years proposed was decided as not enough, as heads of the universities registration and fees department talked with DPJ financial advisors and they decided that to make good teachers you must be educated for an extra TWO years, not one. Fees will coincidentally go up, but the university announced a "let's future" plan wherein they will pay interest on money loaned to them by rich backers to the tune of 0.002% per year (0.0035% after five years), which will allow for loans to students at only 8% interest.

5) The DPJ will pursue suffrage for permanent residents of foreign origin once they are voted in by said people. The ability for said people to vote will be researched after a panel assesses the feasibility of looking into doing so.
smithinjapan at 04:21 PM JST - 1st September

Sorry... that last one was pretty negative. I am happy the DPJ won, but I've been hoping they would be a change from the norm, not an extension of the old.
Scrote at 09:22 AM JST - 2nd September

So, if the LDP were wasting 9 trillion Yen per year, leaving the budget as it is until next year means at least four more months of waste, i.e. 3 trillion Yen down the pan. Hatoyama should explain why he's wasting 3 trillion Yen. He should cut the waste immediately.