首相主催「桜を見る会」に野党批判＝２０年度予算、３倍要求で

　首相主催で例年４月に行われる「桜を見る会」をめぐり、野党から批判が出ている。内閣府の２０２０年度予算概算要求額が約５７００万円と、１９年度の３倍に急増したためだ。国民民主党の玉木雄一郎代表は１６日の記者会見で「なぜ３倍なのか。規模や内容はよく吟味しなければならない」と述べ、精査する考えを示した。
　桜を見る会は１９５２年に始まり、来年で６５回目。政界関係者やスポーツ選手、芸能人らを招き新宿御苑で開催される。
　内閣府によると、招待客は全体で１万人を目安としているが増加傾向にあり、支出額も増えている。１８年は５２２９万円に達し、予算額１７６６万円を大幅に上回った。不足分は同府の他の経費を転用したという。（2019/10/16-16:18）

Next year's cherry blossom-viewing party, an annual event hosted by the Japanese prime minister every April, is facing a backlash from opposition parties, after the related budget requested by the Cabinet Office tripled from the previous year.
   The Cabinet Office sought some 57 million yen under the government's fiscal 2020 budget to cover costs for the annual event, held at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward, for guests such as government officials, athletes and other famous people.
   Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People, signaled his intention to examine the request. "Why did (the figure) triple? We have to look carefully at the scale and content (of the party)," Tamaki told a press conference on Wednesday.
   The government started hosting such parties in 1952. The next one, to be hosted by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, will be the 65th of its kind.
   The Cabinet Office aims to maintain the annual total number of guests at around 10,000, but the figure is increasing and expenditures are rising, the agency said.