TOKYO : Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki vowed on Monday to guide economic and fiscal policy in a"responsible" manner, as he urged lawmakers to enact a second extra budget with spending of $207 billion, backed mostly by new debt issuance.
Consumer inflation in the world's third largest economy hit a 40-year high in October, driven by food and energy prices, dealing a blow to consumers. Elsewhere, the United States may slow its aggressive interest rate hikes in coming months as inflation could peak out and as investors brace for a downturn.
While Japan's extra budget further strained the industrial world's worst debt load, at more than twice the size of the economy, Suzuki vowed to do his utmost to revive growth.