Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated during a party leaders' discussion on the 15th that a decision on a consumption tax cut for food and beverages would be in time if made by early August, and said, 'I want thorough debate that convinces many people, even if it takes the whole of July.' Responding to Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People, she also explained that her previous stance of limiting the measure to two years starting next April remains unchanged. Regarding the 'big-boned shock,' where the government's draft basic policy triggered yen depreciation and bond sell-offs in the market, she expressed the view that she does not believe the draft was the cause, and that market judgments are based on various factors such as U.S. interest rates, employment statistics, and geopolitical risks.