Japan gov't leaves millions of "Abenomasks" unused, fanning criticism

Around 82 million cloth masks procured by Japan during the coronavirus pandemic, dubbed by the public as "Abenomasks," have gone unused, a government spokesman said Wednesday, a revelation that has sparked criticism as a waste of taxpayers' money.The number of masks that were in storage as of March account for more than half of the 140 million the government had intended to supply to the elderly and child care facilities amid a shortage of non-woven and other types of mask.Then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plan to distribute two cloth masks to each household in Japan last year was widely der…READ FULL ARTICLE