June 6, 2026
A supplementary budget for fiscal 2026 totaling over 3.1 trillion yen, intended to address the impact of the oil shortage due to the situation in the Middle East on Japan, was approved in the plenary session of the House of Councillors on June 5 by a majority vote from the Liberal Democratic Party, the “Nippon Ishin no Kai” party, the Democratic Party for the People, the Conservative Party of Japan, and the “Team Mirai” party.
The Japanese Communist Party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the “Komeito” party, the “Sanseito” party, the “Reiwa Shinsengumi” party, the Okinawa Whirlwind, and the Social Democratic Party voted against the proposed budget.
Regarding the supplementary budget enacted earlier that day, JCP Secretariat Head Koike Akira held a press conference in the Diet building and made the following remarks:
The unprovoked war of aggression against Iran by the United States and Israel, which blatantly violates international law, and the de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz have caused soaring prices for energy and petroleum products as well as shortages of various materials. This is having a serious impact on people’s livelihoods in Japan.
However, the supplementary budget enacted today merely increases reserve funds and contains no concrete measures other than support for electricity and gas bills. Huge reserve funds whose use cannot be scrutinized by the Diet infringe upon the constitutional principle of fiscal democracy.
Prime Minister Takaichi is downplaying the situation as a “bottleneck in distribution”, but the bottleneck is the continued U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The JCP strongly demands an immediate end to this lawless war.
Our party will work even harder to halt Japan’s massive military expansion, and demand that large corporations and the wealthy bear their fair share of the tax burden by introducing a “tax the rich” policy. We also demand a reduction in the consumption tax to a flat rate of 5%, the abolition of the tax-invoice system, and a shift toward people-supporting politics.
The Japanese Communist Party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the “Komeito” party, the “Sanseito” party, the “Reiwa Shinsengumi” party, the Okinawa Whirlwind, and the Social Democratic Party voted against the proposed budget.
Regarding the supplementary budget enacted earlier that day, JCP Secretariat Head Koike Akira held a press conference in the Diet building and made the following remarks:
The unprovoked war of aggression against Iran by the United States and Israel, which blatantly violates international law, and the de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz have caused soaring prices for energy and petroleum products as well as shortages of various materials. This is having a serious impact on people’s livelihoods in Japan.
However, the supplementary budget enacted today merely increases reserve funds and contains no concrete measures other than support for electricity and gas bills. Huge reserve funds whose use cannot be scrutinized by the Diet infringe upon the constitutional principle of fiscal democracy.
Prime Minister Takaichi is downplaying the situation as a “bottleneck in distribution”, but the bottleneck is the continued U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The JCP strongly demands an immediate end to this lawless war.
Our party will work even harder to halt Japan’s massive military expansion, and demand that large corporations and the wealthy bear their fair share of the tax burden by introducing a “tax the rich” policy. We also demand a reduction in the consumption tax to a flat rate of 5%, the abolition of the tax-invoice system, and a shift toward people-supporting politics.
