Ishiba Vows to Spur LDP Debate on Dual Surname Option

Tokyo, Dec. 9 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Monday that he will urge a working group within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to speed up discussions on the introduction of a selective dual surname system for married couples.

"I will urge them to increase the frequency and maturity of discussions," Ishiba told a parliamentary meeting after Natsumi Sakai of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan called for the early introduction of such a system.

On Monday, the Diet began deliberations on a 13,943.3-billion-yen supplementary budget bill for fiscal 2024 to finance the Ishiba administration's first comprehensive economic policy package. The government and the ruling parties aim to get the budget bill enacted as early as Dec. 17.

The supplementary budget "needs to be larger than last year's to make steady progress toward overcoming deflation," Ishiba said.

The prime minister emphasized that the extra budget will help secure necessary funds for aid to areas affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake in January 2024.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]