The Japanese government on Friday began issuing up to 2 million yen ($19,000) in cash benefits to small and midsize companies whose income has at least halved due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.Smaller struggling businesses will receive governmental support for the foreseeable future so they will not be forced to cease operations, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.The ministry said that as of Thursday it had received around 500,000 applications since opening up registration on May 1."We will endeavor to provide benefits as soon as we can to the businesses st…READ FULL ARTICLE
