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Takaichi to Launch Cross-Party National Council This Month to Fast-Track Social-Security and Tax Overhaul

The forum aims to secure broader consent before the government moves to pass FY2026 budget/tax bills in the ordinary session.

Overview

  • The first meeting is being arranged for the week of January 19, preceding the Diet’s January 23 opening.
  • The council will bring together the government with five parties: the LDP, Constitutional Democratic Party, Nippon Ishin, Komeito, and the Democratic Party for the People.
  • Deliberations will center on designing a benefit-attached tax credit for low- and middle-income households alongside broader social-security and tax integration.
  • Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara urged rapid policy execution and flagged the integrated reform, including the tax credit, as a priority task.
  • The Mainichi reports an internal idea to dissolve the lower house at the session’s outset, though Takaichi is expected to weigh the step cautiously.