Former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba left the chamber before a vote on a consumption tax cut bill, telling reporters the funding behind the cut is not clear and that it would damage Japan's finances. "The funding is not clear, and it will damage the finances. I cannot dispel those concerns," he said, according to Kyodo News.
The bill, a priority of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, passed the House of Representatives despite the walkout. Yuko Obuchi and other Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers also left before the vote, Nikkan Sports reported.
A consumption tax cut without a named source of revenue would widen the gap between what the government spends and what it collects. Ishiba's objection put that risk ahead of the measure's appeal to households facing higher prices.