Japan Diet begins debate on huge extra budget, increasing fiscal concerns

Japanese lawmakers on Monday began deliberations on an 18.3 trillion yen ($118 billion) extra budget for this fiscal year, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's drastic spending plans fueling concern over a further deterioration in the country's fiscal health and pushing up long-term interest rates.The government and ruling bloc led by Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party aim to pass the bill by the end of the current Diet session on Dec. 17 to fund a stimulus package featuring measures to ease rising living costs and encourage investment to spur growth.The government plans to raise 11.7 tril…READ FULL ARTICLE