The Cabinet on Sunday approved an 82.65 trillion yen general-account budget for fiscal 2001 that is aimed at ensuring the nation's recovery from the prolonged economic slump.
The budget package will also ensure that the national debt rises to 666 trillion yen.
The budget, virtually unchanged from the draft the Finance Ministry proposed Wednesday, is 2.7 percent smaller than the initial fiscal 2000 figure of 84.99 trillion yen and the first in six years that is lower than the previous year's.