Japan PM drops bid to pass FY 2026 budget on time, Diet OKs stopgap step

Japan's ruling party led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday abandoned its plan to enact the fiscal 2026 budget before the new fiscal year starts on April 1, passing an 8.56 trillion yen ($54 billion) stopgap measure instead at the last minute.The provisional budget, the country's first in 11 years, was backed by the ruling and opposition parties in both chambers of parliament, the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors.The delayed enactment is expected to have limited impact on households, with the interim budget covering the high school tuition-free program and pensi…READ FULL ARTICLE