Japan’s Lower House Passes Budget Proposal; Could Be Delayed in Upper House Where Ruling Parties Are Minority

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:11 JST, March 14, 2026

The House of Representatives has passed the fiscal 2026 budget proposal through the support of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party, which hold a majority, sending it to the House of Councillors.

The government and ruling parties seek to pass the budget proposal by the end of the fiscal year, but the outlook remains uncertain as the ruling coalition lacks a majority in the upper house.

The ruling parties rushed deliberations in the lower house as Budget Committee Chairman Tetsushi Sakamoto of the LDP repeatedly used his authority to set the schedule.

Four opposition parties, including the Centrist Reform Alliance, submitted a motion to dismiss Sakamoto on Thursday to demand more substantial deliberations on the budget proposal, but the ruling coalition voted it down during Friday’s plenary session.

At the conclusion of Friday’s Budget Committee meeting, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she believed she had handled the Diet deliberations with sincerity while seeking cooperation to avoid disrupting the lives of the people.

Meanwhile, CRA leader Junya Ogawa criticized the ruling coalition’s stance at a press conference, saying their forceful management of the Diet is extraordinary and affects the dignity of the institution.

The total general account of the budget proposal is a record high ¥122.3 trillion, an increase of ¥7.1 trillion from the initial budget for the current fiscal year.

During a meeting of the directors of the upper house Budget Committee on Friday, the ruling and opposition parties agreed to start substantial deliberations on the budget proposal on Monday. The prime minister is scheduled to attend basic questioning sessions on Monday and Tuesday.

If it is not passed beforehand, the budget proposal will be automatically enacted on April 11, 30 days after being sent to the upper house.