緊急経済対策、２９日指示　原油高・コロナ禍に対応―岸田首相

　岸田文雄首相は２９日、原油価格高騰や新型コロナウイルス禍などに対応するため、当面の経済対策を盛り込んだ「緊急対応策」を４月末までに策定するよう指示する。２８日の参院決算委員会で表明した。政府関係者によると、２０２２年度予算で確保した５兆円の新型コロナ対策予備費などから２兆円程度を活用する案が浮上している。
　対策は(1)原油高対策(2)食材高対策(3)中小企業資金繰り支援(4)生活困窮者支援―の４本柱となる見通し。ウクライナ情勢を受けた原油高が長期化するとの見方もある中、経済の下支えが必要と判断した。
　首相は決算委で「コロナ禍からの経済社会活動の回復を確かなものにするためにも、原油価格や物価の高騰による国民生活などへの影響に機動的に対応しなければならない」と強調。「そのための緊急対応策を４月末までに取りまとめるよう指示したい」と述べた。
　緊急対応策については「（２２年度予算の）予備費を活用した迅速な対応を優先したい」と説明。政府はさらに、夏の参院選公約に掲げる大型対策を６月に取りまとめる２段階の方向で準備している。大型対策の財源は参院選後の補正予算編成を視野に入れる。（2022/03/29-00:18）

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday that he will instruct Tuesday his government to compile by the end of April an emergency economic package to tackle soaring crude oil prices, the novel coronavirus pandemic and other challenges.
   At a meeting of the Audit Committee of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the country's parliament, Kishida also indicated that 5 trillion yen in coronavirus-related reserve funds set aside under the government's fiscal 2022 budget will be used to finance measures in the planned package. He did not rule out the possibility of compiling a supplementary budget in the near future.
   "We must respond flexibly to the impacts of rising prices of crude oil and other goods on people's daily lives in order to ensure a recovery in socioeconomic activities from the COVID-19 crisis," he said. "To do this, I plan on instructing (the government) to put together emergency economic measures by the end of April." Kishida also said, "We will act quickly by using (fiscal 2022 budget) reserves."
   The government will work swiftly on the proposed unfreezing of the so-called trigger provision to realize a temporary gasoline tax cut to combat surging prices, based on discussions among the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, its coalition partner, Komeito, and the opposition Democratic Party for the People, he said.
   Following a widespread backlash on a ruling bloc proposal to hand out around 5,000 yen per pensioner, Kishida said, "We'd like to fully discuss whether (the step) is really necessary as part of the economic measures."