NARA, Mar 19 (News On Japan) - Nara Prefecture's plan to hold a cultural exchange event with South Korea this autumn has hit a setback, as the prefectural assembly's committee voted down the proposed general budget for the new fiscal year on March 18th.
The event, which features a free K-pop concert, had already been scaled down due to calls from some assembly members to reduce costs. The project budget had been cut to approximately one-ninth of the initial estimate. However, during committee discussions on March 18th, multiple members raised concerns about the lack of sufficient debate on the event’s justification and questioned the consistency of its objectives. The budget proposal was ultimately rejected by a majority vote.
Governor Makoto Yamashita of Nara Prefecture commented: ‘We made significant concessions to the assembly when drafting the budget, so I find it difficult to understand the reasons for this rejection.’
This marks the second consecutive year that the assembly has rejected the prefecture’s initial budget proposal in committee. The Liberal Democratic and Independent Caucus plans to submit a revised budget, leaving the future of next year’s event uncertain.
Source: YOMIURI
