Japan Govt to Spend Extra 50.9 B. Yen on Noto Aid

Jiji Press

12:10 JST, October 11, 2024

Tokyo (Jiji Press)—The Japanese government decided Friday to spend an additional ¥50,931.54 million from its fiscal 2024 reserve funds on disaster relief for the Noto Peninsula, hit by a huge earthquake and massive rain this year.

It will be the seventh round of fiscal spending to aid the central Japan peninsula since the Jan. 1 quake, bringing the total to ¥715 billion . The peninsula also suffered landslides and floods due to last month’s downpour.

Ishiba has set out regional revitalization and disaster reduction as his flagship policies. The latest decision followed his visit to the peninsula Saturday.

The planned aid includes ¥2.6 billion to improve disaster evacuation centers, such as by dispatching food trucks that serve hot meals to disaster victims, in line with Ishiba’s campaign pledges in the leadership election of his Liberal Democratic Party last month.

Also planned is ¥32.8 billion to restore damaged roads, riverbanks and other infrastructure facilities, as well as ¥15.5 billion for disaster waste disposal to accelerate demolition of damaged houses.

Ishiba has instructed his government to start preparations to create a disaster management agency. In a policy speech before the Diet, the country’s parliament, last week, he emphasized the need to make the country more resilient to disasters.

The economic package to be adopted in autumn is expected to include expenditures for disaster prevention and reduction measures.

On Friday, the government also decided to spend ¥81,594.03 million on the Oct. 27 general election for the House of Representatives, the lower chamber.