WEEKLY KAGOSHIMA on the Web

Kagoshima Prefecture unveils budget plan for 2011
Kagoshima Prefecture announced its initial budget for 2011 on February 14. The total general account expenditure had swollen by 0.4% from the previous year, being the third consecutive year-on-year increase in three years, to become 777,118,000,000 yen.
The prefecture’s single-year account balance had been equalised due to the elimination of a revenue shortfall making it a positive sign toward a sound public finance. However, the situation remains far from optimistic as it has few financial sources of its own, and the proportion of the total budget assigned to the repayment of the principal and interest of the prefectural bond--a de facto debt--remains high at around 20%.
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＜タイトル＞
鹿児島県が２０１１年度予算案を公開
＜第１パラグラフ＞
Initial budget：当初予算　　　general ~ expenditure：一般会計歳出　　　had ~ 0.4%：0.4%増加した　　　the ~ year：前年（the year before）　　　the ~ years：３年連続の増加
＜第２パラグラフ＞
Single-year ~balance：単年度収支　　　(had been) equalised：均衡した　　　due to…：・・・が原因で（because of, on account of, owing to, thanks to）　　　the ~ shortfall：
財源不足の解消　　　making ~ finace：（財源不足解消）が財政健全化に向けた明るい兆しになった　　　the ~ optimistic：楽観できない状況が続く　　　it ~ own：自主財源が乏しい　　　assigned to…：・・・に充てられる　　　the ~ bond：県債の元利償還　　　de facto：事実上の