Japan's lower house passes record budget for fiscal 2019: Nikkei

[TOKYO] The lower chamber of the Japanese parliament early Saturday approved the government's record 101.5 trillion yen (US$1.23 billion) initial budget bill for the fiscal year starting April 1, the Nikkei newspaper reported.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito held a vote on the bill, clearing the way for its passage by the chamber to ensure it can be enacted before the new fiscal year begins. Earlier, opposition lawmakers halted deliberations by submitting a no-confidence motion against a Cabinet minister over his handling of a data scandal in the labour ministry.

The budget will automatically take effect 30 days after it's passed by the lower house under the Constitution, according to the Nikkei.

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