Takaichi says govt. will ask for extra budget to help fight higher energy prices

Japan's Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae has said the government plans to ask for a fiscal 2026 supplementary budget to help fight surging energy prices. She said she hopes to submit a draft budget totaling over 3 trillion yen, or 18.8 billion dollars, to the Diet as early as next week.

Takaichi was speaking to reporters on Monday about how the government will respond to the consequences of the situation in the Middle East. She said she wants subsidies on gas and electricity bills from July to September this year, worth around 3.14 billion dollars, to be funded by reserves included in this fiscal year's budget. She added that the Cabinet would decide on the matter at a meeting on Tuesday.