Happy New Year! I wish you all the very best for the year 2013. I am very grateful to you for the kindness you showed us last year and look forward to your continued goodwill this year as well. This is my first time to welcome the New Year in the Southern hemisphere, and I enjoyed the NYE fireworks display in Sydney.
Today I am writing about what Japanese local governments are doing in January. In Japan, local governments offices usually start from January 4th. We have New Year holidays from December 29th to January 3rd. In January, as it is the beginning of the year, we have a lot of occasions to celebrate the New Year. For example, local government executives attend parties hosted by the chambers of commerce and the New Year’s parades of fire fighters.
Staff of local governments have many busy days in January because they have to finish preparing the draft of next fiscal year’s budget. Japanese fiscal year begins on April 1st. Usually from November to January, the finance division hears about the necessity of each project from the staff in charge. After the national budget draft is released at the end of December, they estimate next year’s revenue and a governor or mayor finally makes decisions on important matters. In February, a governor or mayor finalizes the draft and submits it to an assembly to get approval before the new fiscal year starts on April 1st.
This year, staff of local governments may have a tougher time. A national election of lower house was held last December and a new government was established at the end of that month. The next fiscal year’s national budget draft will be revealed in January together with the supplementary budget. Staff of local governments have to get the one month delay back on track as well as prepare for their supplementary budget in this fiscal year.
With all that being said, I believe they will work hard to get past the difficulties in order to make effective and efficient budgets for their residents.
