Japan agrees record extra budget to fund Covid-19 measures

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, bows with his cabinet ministers as the supplementary budget for the fiscal year was approved (Kyodo News via AP)

Japan’s parliament has approved a record extra budget of nearly 36 trillion yen (£240 billion) for the fiscal year through March to help out pandemic-hit households and businesses.

The budget largely is to fund Covid-19 measures, including booster jabs and oral medicines. It also includes cash payouts for families with children and a promotional campaign for the hard-hit tourism industry, which critics said are pork-barrel giveaways.