Japan's government and ruling parties are considering providing ¥100,000 ($880) each for children aged 18 or younger in an attempt to ease the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, sources close to the matter have said.
If all goes smoothly, the cash handout program will be included in a fresh economic stimulus worth "tens of trillions of yen" that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plans to craft by mid-November, the sources said Friday. But some remain cautious about giving that amount of money in cash regardless of income levels.
Without any conditions, up to 20 million children will be eligible for the benefit, which would require around ¥2 trillion at a time when Japan is already saddled with the most debt of any country, more than twice the size of its economy.