Japan PM Kishida orders cabinet to compile extra stimulus budget

FILE PHOTO: Fumio Kishida, Japan’s prime minister, speaks during a news conference at the prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo, Japan, October 4, 2021. Toru Hanai/Pool via REUTERS

TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida instructed his cabinet on Friday to compile an economic package after the general elections to ease the pain from the coronavirus pandemic, Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said.

Suzuki told reporters after a cabinet meeting that he hoped to compile a “high-quality” extra budget immediately after the Oct. 31 general elections and have it approved by parliament by the end of the year.