The Lower House approved Tuesday a third supplementary budget for fiscal 2020 totaling ¥19.18 trillion ($185 billion) to fund additional government measures to counter the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The extra budget, submitted to the Lower House last week together with a draft budget for fiscal 2021 starting April, is expected to clear the House of Councilors on Thursday for enactment, despite opposition criticism that it does not sufficiently prioritize support for medical care over nonurgent projects.
With the additional fiscal backing approved by the Cabinet in December, the government is looking to promptly implement steps to curb a third wave of coronavirus infections that led Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga earlier this month to declare a second state of emergency in Tokyo and 10 other prefectures.