Japan needs another extra budget of up to ¥30 trillion ($270 billion) to support economic growth while its battle with the coronavirus drags on, says an adviser to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
Economist Heizo Takenaka, in an interview this week, joined ruling party members calling for more spending as Japan muddles through a fourth virus emergency and voters prepare to head to the polls for elections by the fall.
"In the short run, fiscal stimulus is needed,” said Takenaka, once Suga’s boss at the communications ministry and now his adviser on growth policy. "It’s also very important at this moment to control COVID-19.”