Budget Debates Are All the Rage in Japan

Since November 12th, crowds have packed the Ichigaya Gymnasium nearly daily, to catch a glimpse of the rapid-fire debates that have left many bureaucrats squirming in their seats.

Even prime time news broadcasts have been highlighting long clips from the deliberations each evening.

[Renhou, Democratic Party Lawmaker]:
"Here things don't add up. This is the outline that was left behind by the previous government which we, the Democratic Party, said we were revising for next year."

The shows are even available live on the Internet, along with a vibrant live chat room.

According to Japanese media, the website almost crashed on the first day of the hearings, when thousands of people tried to watch the broadcast at once.

The live debates have also caught the attention of a public, worried about Japan's national debt, which is set to approach 200 percent of the countrys GDP.

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama backs the new debate scene.

[Yukio Hatoyama, Japanese Prime Minister]:
"Previously these things had been decided behind closed doors. If anything it will be progress that both politics and budgets will be decided within the public eye."

Many Japanese say it is good that these sessions are under proper public scrutiny.

[Chihiro Shimakita, Student]:
"I think its a good thing that they've made these debates public. I am for this."

However the operation has its critics. Some have described the process as bullying and complained that not enough time is allotted for panels to investigate the worth of projects they are cancelling.

[Kouyu Takagi, Pensioner]:
"The time spent (on each debate) is too short and it's not enough time to come up with the conclusions they come up with."

The government has yet to announce the final figures, but the panel is said to be on track to slash an estimated 34 billion U.S. dollars from the next government budget.

Category:

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• U.S. dollars

[hurutu]

This is very bad.

a space rocket.

Medicine(Drugs、Chinese Herbal Drug).

Supercomputer.

All cut, or abolished.

Many bad reason.

Too bad it can not write in English.