The Japanese government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe amplified the country’s disaster recovery budget by 935.6 billion yen ($8.3 billion) in the financial budget for the fiscal year 2018 through March 2019.
Plans for an additional disaster recovery budget are underway to offset expenses incurred from infrastructural damage. A number of catastrophes that ravaged the country through the first half of 2018 prompted the initiative that will now be submitted at the House of Councilors. These include fatalities in excess of 200 owing to landslides and floods during heavy torrential downpours in July in Hiroshima and Okayoma; a massive earthquake with a 6.7 Richter scale reading at Hokkaido and a devastating Typhoon Jebi in September, amongst others. Some important highlights from the disaster recovery budget:
- Western Japan (Hiroshima and Okayama) – 503.4 billion yen
- Hokkaido – 120 billion yen
- Osaka Region – 105.3 billion yen
- Air conditioners in public schools – 82.2 billion yen
- Concrete Walls – 25.9 billion yen
While addressing the House of Representatives, the Finance Minister, Taro Aso, urged the need to cut through bureaucratic red tape and approve the additional funds for the disaster recovery budget as quickly as possible in order to aid the affected communities.