Japanese Deputy Prime Minister: "Only Those Who Apply Will Receive COVID-19 Support Funds"... Denies Uniform Payment Policy

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Taro Aso, Japan's Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, sparked controversy by directly contradicting the government's uniform payment policy, stating that the COVID-19 relief funds will only be given to those who request them. This comes after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the previous day a plan to distribute 100,000 yen (approximately 1.13 million KRW) per person uniformly, causing expected confusion.

According to NHK, Deputy Prime Minister Aso said at a press conference, "This relief fund will be paid only to those who directly request support, those who raise their hands," adding, "There will be wealthy people who choose not to receive it." He continued, "We will do our best to expedite the process so that payments can begin from May, and the cost is expected to be about 12.6 trillion yen, which is more than the initially anticipated 4 trillion yen, so additional issuance of deficit-covering bonds will be inevitable."

Aso's remarks directly contradict Prime Minister Abe's policy of uniformly paying 100,000 yen per person to all citizens, causing controversy. The previous day, Abe announced the expansion of the COVID-19 state of emergency nationwide and revealed the economic measure of uniformly distributing 100,000 yen per person to all citizens. Initially, the Japanese government announced a plan to pay 300,000 yen to households with reduced income, but after the coalition partner Komeito proposed a uniform payment, the policy shifted to paying 100,000 yen per person.

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