Feb 5, 2021 The Lower House began debating the fiscal 2021 budget late this week, but the focus has been on the mounting pressure on Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on issues ranging from a potential ethics violation involving his son to a sexist remark by the Tokyo Organising Committee chair. In the Lower House Budget Committee, the main battleground between the administration and opposition parties, opposition lawmakers attempted to shake the prime minister with a series of attacks, but he kept his ground, even though he at times raised his voice. Although the events unfolding this week are not directly tied to the prime minister himself, they could further inflame mistrust toward the administration — which is already nearing its boiling point over Suga's coronavirus response.