Japan to Submit ¥8.6 Trillion Stopgap Budget on Friday

Overview

• The government, which disclosed the plan Thursday, will seek Cabinet approval and file the bill Friday with a goal of Diet passage as early as Monday.
• The measure funds the first 11 days of fiscal 2026 so essential payments continue until the regular budget would take effect on April 12 under constitutional rules.
• General-account spending totals about ¥8.6 trillion, with roughly ¥5.1 trillion for tax grants to local governments, ¥2.8 trillion for social security, and ¥0.7 trillion for items such as personnel costs.
• Officials say the stopgap will also cover some new policies, including free school lunches and high school tuition that start in April, while rejecting broader additions sought by opposition parties.
• This would be Japan's first provisional budget since 2015, a tool used sparingly because the lower house can let the full-year budget start even if the upper house does not vote by the deadline.