Japan Approves a 3.1 Trillion Yen Budget to Cushion the Energy Shock

Japan's parliament enacted a supplementary budget of 3.1 trillion yen, about $19.4 billion, to reduce the impact of Middle East turmoil on households and businesses, Jiji Press reported. The measure passed Friday after the cabinet approved it earlier in the week.

The central element of the package is a reserve fund of 2.5 trillion yen aimed at rising energy prices, chiefly by replenishing gasoline subsidies. The government intends to finance the entire amount through deficit-covering bonds, while trying to avoid increasing net issuance to the market by relying on stronger tax and non-tax revenue.

The timing is awkward. The fiscal year began only in April, and the need for an extra budget so soon has revived concern about the country's deteriorating public finances and accelerating inflation. From a sound-money perspective, the package illustrates a familiar pattern. A government responds to price increases caused partly by earlier loose monetary policy by borrowing more to subsidize consumption, rather than addressing the disruption to supply itself.