TOKYO: Japan’s government is mulling doubling budget reserves to 1 trillion yen ($6.9 billion) for the fiscal year 2024-25 starting April to cover the cost of earthquake reconstruction.
According to the Asahi newspaper, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida‘s cabinet is expected to approve the plan as early as January 16. Citing several government sources, the report said the cabinet earlier on Tuesday approved 4.74 billion yen in spending from fiscal 2023/24 reserves for such aid as water, food, diapers and heaters, Minister of Finance Shunichi Suzuki said.
READ ALSO: Gaza Death Toll Hits 23,210 as Israel Continues Relentless Strikes
The magnitude 7.6 earthquake that jolted the Noto peninsula on country’s west coast on New Year’s Day killed more than 200 people, making it the deadliest since the 2016 quake in Kumamoto on the southern island of Kyushu.
