Government subsidies for policy programs in the proposed fiscal 2003 budget come to a record 22.32 trillion yen, up 1.1 percent from the previous year's initial budget, reflecting the nation's growing social welfare costs, the Finance Ministry said Friday.

The total amount of subsidies account for 46.9 percent of discretionary spending, called general expenditures, the ministry said.

Social welfare spending-related subsidies are up 5.6 percent to 11.28 trillion yen, accounting for 50.5 percent of overall subsidies and surpassing half of the total for the first time.