Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet approved an extra budget Friday worth ¥3.5 trillion for this fiscal year through March to bolster the economy through enhanced welfare services and a more competitive farm sector.
The fiscal 2015 supplementary budget plan is designed to realize the prime minister's key policies, including steps to support child-rearing and prevent people from leaving their jobs to take care of their elderly family members.
The government also aims to improve the international competitiveness of Japanese farmers, in the wake of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement recently reached by Japan, the United States and 10 other countries.