Former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday pledged an economic package with "tens of trillions of yen" to fight the COVID-19 pandemic as a pillar of his policy platform, as he faces off against Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's upcoming leadership race.The package includes a plan to strengthen financial aid to businesses affected by government policies such as a request for shorter hours and people hit by the economic slump in the wake of the pandemic, Kishida said at a press conference.Suga met with LDP Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai the same …READ FULL ARTICLE
