The labor ministry called on the government Tuesday to spend 931.4 billion yen out of a planned supplementary budget to fund employment-related measures and other welfare steps.
Of the requested amount, 753.6 billion yen should go to finance measures to help the jobless, including 196.8 billion yen for steps to expedite employment of jobless young, elderly and disabled people, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said.
The administration of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Friday approved the compilation of the auxiliary budget, which is to include 1.5 trillion yen in safety net measures for companies and workers expected to be hit by moves to accelerate the disposal of bad loans.