Instead of drawing up a supplementary budget, the government will use contingency funds this month to pay for the relief measures taken after Friday's massive earthquake and tsunami, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Sunday.
Edano said on a TV program that he believes the government will be able to address the emergency for the time being with about ¥200 billion allocated in the fiscal 2010 budget.
The opposition camp has been asking the government to consider crafting an extra budget for the year through March 31 since the devastating earthquake.
On Sunday, Liberal Democratic Party President Sadakazu Tanigaki said the ruling and main opposition parties will discuss the possibility of raising taxes to secure the funds necessary for the work.