Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi may miss her goal of passing the ¥122
trillion ($770 billion) 2026 annual budget by the end of March due to opposition
delays in the upper house. Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said the government
would prepare an 11-day provisional budget to cover spending through April 11 if
the full plan stalls, the first such measure since 2015. The lower house passed
the budget on March 13 after the shortest debate period since 2000, but recent
political controversies and upper house resistance are slowing final approval.