Negotiation over Free Education

The leading coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komeito seek cooperation from some opposition parties to pass annual budget bill in coming session of the Diet. They continue discussion over “free education” with Japan Innovation Party, or Nippon Ishin-no Kai (Ishin). While Ishin hopes to introduce subsidy to compensate tuition for all high school students in April, the leading coalition rejected it with fiscal concern. Having hung parliament in the House of Representatives, the opposition parties are emboldened in policy talks. 

The Key person is Seiji Maehara, a co-chair of Ishin. In 2022, when he was one of the members of the Democratic Party for the People (DPP), Maehara opposed to the leader, Yuichiro Tamaki, who sought cooperation with the LDP. Maehara left the DPP and established a new party called Free Education for All, upholding free education as main agenda of the party. Just before the general election of the House of Representatives in October 2024, Maehara entered Ishin and took seat as a co-chair after the election.

 

Because the leader of Ishin Hirofumi Yoshimura, Governor of Osaka, does not have a seat in the Diet, he asked Maehara to lead Ishin’s lawmakers as a co-chair. Maehara set free education at the top agenda of Ishin in the Diet. Acknowledging the fact that the leading coalition does not have a simple majority to pass FY 2025 annual budget bill in the Lower House, Maehara offered Ishin’s support for the bill with condition of the coalition’s support for his free education policy.

 

In the third meeting on free education by the LDP, Komeito and Ishin on January 10th, Ishin proposed removing limitation of annual income of each household for receiving subsidy for high school tuition from April 2025. The LDP expressed its negative opinion for that, raising argument that it would cost 600 billion yen and require amendment of related laws.

 

Currently, a family having a student going to public high school with annual income of 9.1 million yen or less will annually receive 118 thousand yen to compensate tuition fee. Private high school student will receive additional subsidy. In the case of a family with private high school student and its annual income is 5.9 million yen or less, it may annually receive 396 thousand yen.

 

Ishin also proposed compensating nursery fee for a child at the age of two or younger and cost for school lunch from FY 2026. The LDP is skeptical on whether Ishin’s policy will contribute to education with higher quality. The three parties agreed on concluding their discussion by mid-February.

 

The leading coalition has already finalized the draft of FY 2025 budget. The LDP is reluctant to reshape the budget bill. Ishin is raising the price of its policy, hitting a soft point of the coalition without a simple majority. In addition, Maehara looks like competing against Tamaki, a political enemy who also has been negotiating with the LDP and Komeito over tax reform.

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