Japan's lower house passes 2nd extra budget for virus package

The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a draft second extra budget for fiscal 2020, totaling 31.91 trillion yen ($296 billion), to provide additional funding to front-line medical workers and support people reeling from the coronavirus pandemic.The country's largest-ever supplementary budget, submitted to parliament by the government on Monday and also backed by almost all opposition parties, is expected to clear the House of Councillors on Friday for enactment.Approved by the Cabinet in late May, the fresh budget will finance the government's new package of programs focusing on…READ FULL ARTICLE