2nd extra budget likely to clear Diet on Mon.

TOKYO, Jan. 23 Kyodo -
The main opposition Democratic Party of Japan decided Friday to vote on a
second extra budget for fiscal 2008 in the upper house on Monday, senior DPJ
lawmakers said, paving the way for its enactment.
Though the budget is expected to be voted down by a majority of opposition
parties which control the House of Councillors, it is likely to be enacted
later Monday as the decision of the more powerful House of Representatives will
prevail under constitutional provisions.
The 4.79 trillion yen extra budget and related bills passed the lower house on
Jan. 13 with the backing of the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic
Party and the New Komeito party, and the ruling parties have proposed the
opposition parties vote on the budget Monday.
In line with the DPJ's decision, the ruling parties are now seeking to have
Prime Minister Taro Aso and three other ministers deliver policy speeches at
the Diet on Tuesday, instead of Monday as previously sought.
The extra budget, which includes a controversial 2 trillion yen cash handout
plan, is expected to be put to a vote at the upper house budget committee and
then sent to the upper house plenary session.
On the extra budget's related bills which state such matters as financial
resources for the cash handout plan, DPJ Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama
expressed his intention to continue deliberations separately from the extra
budget itself.
''The related bills can be deliberated by taking plenty of time,'' Hatoyama
told a news conference, indicating that they will be discussed at the upper
house committee on financial affairs.
He said that the party has no intention to unnecessarily prolong deliberations
as it thinks that the budget should be enacted soon except for the cash handout
plan.
Meanwhile, Aso called for the quick enactment of the related bills, telling
reporters, ''It is important that the related bills pass (the Diet) soon in
order to implement'' economic measures.
The DPJ plans to accept holding voting on related bills soon on such issues as
making up for tax allocations for local governments as well as securing
expenses for road maintenance, according to DPJ sources.
The DPJ made the decision to hold a vote on Monday in a bid to stop the ruling
parties from beginning deliberations on a fiscal 2009 budget in the lower house
while deliberations on the second extra budget are still underway at the upper
house, Hatoyama said.
''We have to avoid by any means'' allowing the ruling parties to hold budget
deliberations concurrently at both chambers as ''it will especially lead to
disregard of the upper house,'' Hatoyama said.
The DPJ conveyed to other opposition parties it has agreed to hold the voting
on Monday.
The Japanese Communist Party and the People's New Party expressed opposition to
voting, saying deliberations on the extra budget have been insufficient.
==Kyodo