With his popularity diving, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is taking a new strategy by focusing on boosting local economies by using every available option.
On Friday, Abe set up a special office that will deal with policies to help rural economies. The office will be in charge of coordinating all public works bills to be submitted to the Diet.
The same day, his government announced it will create a special budget framework worth ¥4 trillion for fiscal 2015, which will be spent to boost rural economies and increase the country's economic growth potential. It will also force each ministry to save about 10 percent of its discretionary budgets.