The Lower House approved a record ¥101.46 trillion ($913 billion) budget for fiscal 2019 early Saturday, ensuring its enactment before the new fiscal year begins on April 1.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition pushed the spending plan through the House of Representatives past midnight, after opposition lawmakers halted deliberations the previous day by submitting a no-confidence motion against labor minister Takumi Nemoto over his handling of a faulty jobs data scandal.
The initial general-account budget topped ¥100 trillion for the first time amid swelling social security costs and defense spending, as well as fiscal stimulus aimed at underpinning domestic demand after the second half of a consumption tax hike is completed in October.