Japanese government increases budget reserves to support earthquake victims

Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said on January 9 that the Japanese government has approved spending 4.74 billion yen ($33 million) from the 2023-2024 fiscal year's financial reserves to provide aid to victims of the Noto Peninsula earthquake.

The Japanese government also plans to increase the reserve fund set aside in the draft budget for the fiscal year starting in April from the current 500 billion yen to fund disaster recovery efforts. Before the earthquake, the government approved a total budget of 112 trillion yen ($780 billion), including 500 billion yen ($3.48 billion) for the general reserve and 1 trillion yen ($6.96 billion) for anti-inflation measures.

According to Kyodo, as of the afternoon of January 9, Japanese authorities confirmed that the death toll after the earthquake in Ishikawa Prefecture and neighboring areas in central Japan had reached 202 people, while 102 people were still missing. According to Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, the number of soldiers in the Self-Defense Forces participating in rescue operations has increased from 200 to about 3,600. Local police have launched a large-scale search operation at a devastated market in Wajima, where a large fire broke out after the 7.6-magnitude earthquake.

More than 28,000 people are still staying in evacuation centers in Ishikawa Prefecture, and at least 3,300 people, mainly in Wajima and the neighboring city of Suzu, are isolated due to severe road damage. More than 80 schools, including those in Wajima and Suzu, are unable to hold classes due to damaged facilities. Restoration of electricity, water and other infrastructure is still incomplete.

HUY QUOC

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