Japan local gov'ts financially aiding coronavirus-hit art, culture sector

Municipalities across Japan have been offering a range of novel financial aid schemes to help those engaged in cultural and artistic activities ride out the coronavirus pandemic.While the sector is usually considered low priority for public support, it has been particularly hard hit by social distancing steps to thwart the spread of the virus, resulting in loss of audiences, performances and customers.The city of Kanazawa in central Japan's Ishikawa Prefecture has set aside part of its fiscal 2020 extra budget to support the training of geisha, or women who dance, sing and provide other for…READ FULL ARTICLE