The Lower House on Friday approved a record-high ¥102.66 trillion general budget for the upcoming fiscal year, marking a major milestone in the Diet session for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration as it scrambles to respond to COVID-19 outbreaks and a series of scandals.

The fiscal 2020 budget for the year starting April was cleared with a majority, including members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and coalition partner Komeito, voting in favor. The budget follows a recent trend of annual increases — record highs were marked in the last eight years — and tops ¥100 trillion for the second year in a row, darkening prospects for achieving fiscal reform.

Members of opposition parties had previously requested that the budget be rearranged to add funding for COVID-19 countermeasures, but the ruling party did not accept the suggestion. The biggest portion of the spending, about ¥35 trillion, was earmarked for social welfare, incorporating costs for free preschool education and tuition assistance for secondary education. To offset the economic impacts from October's consumption tax hike, the budget allocates ¥1.78 trillion for stimulus programs such as reward point programs linked to cashless purchases.