Japan has yet to use about ¥20 trillion ($180 billion) of some ¥73 trillion under its three fiscal 2020 extra budgets to fund stimulus packages in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, a Kyodo News tally showed Tuesday.
The finding, based on data released by the Cabinet Office in May, reflects the government's slow moves to mitigate the economic fallout from the pandemic, as well as the fact that projects such as a domestic tourism promotion campaign have stalled due to the further spread of the virus.
The disclosure of the amount left over comes as Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's Liberal Democratic Party considers drawing up another large-scale supplementary budget to finance a fresh economic stimulus, apparently with a view to winning public support ahead of a general election that must be held by November.