LDP Mulls Adding ¥40,000 Cash Handouts to Campaign Pledges; Party Officials Call It Way to Deal with High Prices

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
The Liberal Democratic Party's headquarters is seen in Tokyo.
The Liberal Democratic Party is considering providing ¥40,000 in cash per person as a measure to deal with rising prices, according to LDP senior officials.
Within the ruling party, a proposal has also emerged to increase the benefit amount for households that are exempt from resident tax, the officials said. With a view to including such cash handouts in its campaign pledges for this summer's House of Councillors election, the party is accelerating work to design a specific system, including how to provide the benefits.
The LDP intends to determine the amount of cash handouts based on a tax revenue surplus in fiscal 2024.
To provide the benefits promptly, the LDP is considering using accounts dedicated to receiving public money, in which recipients' My Number personal identification cards are linked to their savings accounts. The party aims to carry out the cash handouts by the end of this year by formulating a supplementary budget in an extraordinary Diet session after the upper house election.
On Thursday, LDP Policy Research Council Chairperson Itsunori Onodera met with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, LDP Secretary General Hiroshi Moriyama and others to discuss the amount of the benefits and when to implement the measure, among other matters.

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