The 82.65 trillion yen fiscal 2001 state budget, featuring a record-high 48.66 trillion yen to fund policies to bolster the economy, was enacted Monday evening.

The budget had long been seen as an obstacle to solving the country's political morass. As calls for Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori to step down have continued to grow, LDP heavyweights have insisted that the budget be enacted before the question of Mori's successor be addressed.

With the budget out of the way, political attention now shifts to an upcoming LDP presidential election.