March 23, 2022

The 2022 budget drafted by the Kishida government was enacted at the House of Councilors plenary meeting on March 22 by majority vote of the ruling Liberal Democratic and Komei parties along with the Democratic Party for the People, the only opposition party that voted for the government-drafted budget.

The Japanese Communist Party voted against the budget draft because it fails to provide sufficient funds for COVID-19 countermeasures and cuts back on social welfare services and government measures to support people’s livelihoods while promoting a huge military buildup.

Following the enactment of the 2022 budget, at a press conference in the Diet building, JCP Secretariat Head Koike Akira said, “The JCP will conduct Diet deliberations confronting the Kishida government’s anti-people policies with the party’s counter proposals.

Asked whether the JCP seeks to cooperate in the upcoming Upper House election with the DPP, though it played a part in the passage of the government-proposed budget through both chambers, Koike pointed out that the DPP gave the nod to the initial budget request which is tantamount to promising not to oppose the Kishida government’s policies in all fields, including taxation, social welfare, and national security. He added, “We have to say that the DPP sits on the ruling party side. So, electoral cooperation with this party is out of the question.”

Past related articles:
> JCP Koike criticizes DPP’s approval of 2022 budget draft as declaration of virtually sitting at ruling party table [February 22, 2022]
> Kishida gov’t 2022 budget draft will adversely affect general public [December 25, 2021]