Japan lower house OKs 19 tril. yen extra budget to boost virus steps

Japan's House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a third supplementary budget for fiscal 2020 totaling 19.18 trillion yen ($185 billion) to fund additional government measures to counter the novel coronavirus pandemic.The extra budget, submitted to the lower house last week together with a draft budget for fiscal 2021 starting April, is expected to clear the House of Councillors on Thursday for enactment, despite opposition criticism that it does not sufficiently prioritize support for medical care over non-urgent projects.With the additional fiscal backing approved by the Cabinet in De…READ FULL ARTICLE