Japan ruling bloc agrees to curb gasoline prices from June
TOKYO, April 4 (Reuters) - Japan's ruling coalition and the opposition Democratic Party for the People (DPP) agreed to curb gasoline prices to help cushion consumers against wider economic pain stemming from U.S. tariffs, a DPP lawmaker said on Friday.
The secretary-generals of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), junior coalition partner Komeito, and DPP agreed to launch the measures by June, DPP's Kazuya Shimba told reporters after a meeting with his counterparts.
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Shimba did not spell out what measures the government would take.
LDP's secretary-general Hiroshi Moriyama separately said that the steps would be implemented through March next year and could be funded without compiling a supplementary budget, according to Japanese media.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has promised to help domestic industry deal with the fallout from President Donald Trump's tariffs, which include a 25% levy on auto imports and a reciprocal 24% tariff on other Japanese goods.
"This is a situation that could be called a national crisis," Ishiba told parliament on Friday.
"I believe that it is necessary to consider and respond to it in a non-partisan manner, including not only the government and ruling parties, but also the opposition parties."
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