Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stressed Tuesday the difficulty of fighting a coronavirus-triggered economic slowdown, saying that stimulus cannot easily buoy the economy.
Speaking in a parliamentary session, Abe said the current economic situation is "psychologically more challenging than the Great Depression" in the 1930s.
"If we engage in economic activity, it would affect people's health and life. Unfortunately, we're not in a situation in which stimulus steps will immediately work," Abe said during a session of the Lower House Budget Committee.