China News Service, Tokyo, October 7 (Reporter Lu Shaowei) The Ministry of Finance of Japan recently compiled the 2021 budget application draft submitted by various relevant departments, and announced the total general budget application on the 7th, which is about 105.4071 trillion yen (about 105.4071 trillion yen). US$994.7 billion).
It exceeded the 104.9998 trillion yen applied for in 2020, a record high for three consecutive years.
Among them, as Japan’s declining birthrate and aging population have intensified, related social security expenditures have increased. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has applied for a budget of 32.9895 trillion yen, a new high.
In addition, the "defense budget" submitted by the Ministry of Defense of Japan also hit a new high, rising to 5.4897 trillion yen, an increase of approximately 3.3% compared to the original budget for 2020.
"Defense costs" have increased for eight consecutive years since the second Abe cabinet came to power at the end of 2012.
In order to strengthen the defense against earthquakes, typhoons and other disasters, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has pushed forward the "Toughness of the Land" policy. The budget submitted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is 6.1437 trillion yen.
On the other hand, the amount of "national debt fees" applied for repayment of the principal and interest of the national debt also increased by 2.1419 trillion yen over the current year, reaching 25.4934 trillion yen.
The person in charge of the Ministry of Finance commented on the draft budget application, stating that the Ministry of Finance will discuss and review the validity and necessity of relevant budget applications with various departments, and strive to make a high-quality budget that takes into account economic development and fiscal integrity.
Kyodo News Agency of Japan reported that in addition to the aggregated applications, many departments also have undisclosed funding applications for the new crown epidemic response funds at this stage, which has put a lot of pressure on the annual budget.
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