With the novel coronavirus shaking up the global economy, the Japanese government is scrambling for countermeasures to cushion the economic fallout.

The pneumonia-causing virus has already rocked the financial markets, frozen tourism, cooled down consumption and disrupted companies' production, but how much longer the economic blow will last is anybody's guess.

Some lawmakers have said that Japan will need tens of trillions of yen worth of stimulus combined with extraordinary policies such as handing out cash and lowering the sales tax rate, which was raised just about six months ago after being delayed twice, to ease people's concerns and sustain consumption.