Overview
- Government officials said they will approve a provisional budget on Friday, March 27, and send it to the Diet to prevent a funding lapse at the start of the fiscal year.
- The detour follows the budget’s March 13 passage in the Lower House and slower debate in the Upper House, where the ruling camp does not hold a majority.
- The stopgap covers April 1–11 and is set to fund pensions and the expansion of tuition-free public high school, with reports putting the 11-day price tag near ¥10 trillion.
- The Defense Ministry launched the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Information Operations Group on Wednesday to counter disinformation and influence campaigns, with its commander stressing faster response.
- Parents at a Tuesday briefing for Doshisha International High questioned the school’s safety planning after a March 16 boat capsizing off Henoko killed a 17-year-old student.