Japan's Prime Minister Kishida To Announce Economic Stimulus Measures
Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio plans to spend nearly 7 billion dollars over five years in an economic stimulus package to be announced next week.
The main pillar of the package involves investing in training programs to help people find jobs in growing businesses.
Kishida is scheduled to deliver a policy speech on the opening day of the extraordinary Diet session on Monday. He plans to explain his new comprehensive economic measures that will be compiled next month.
The government aims to increase annual spending by foreign tourists to over 5 trillion yen, or about 34.5 billion dollars, by taking advantage of the yen's weakness.
It also plans to spend 1 trillion yen, or about 6.9 billion dollars, over five years on training programs to help people find jobs in growing businesses, including start-up companies. This is part of an effort to help increase wages.
In addition, the government will promote public and private-sector investment in the semiconductor industry.
Kishida also plans to oblige nurseries to install safety devices in school buses to prevent children from being left inside. This follows the recent death of a 3-year-old girl who was left behind in a school bus.
He intends to call for revising consumer laws to help victims of a marketing practice known as "spiritual sales." The practice has been linked to a religious group formerly known as the Unification Church.