Japanese Finance Minister Aso Taro says his country is keeping a close eye on the US presidential election.

Aso spoke to reporters on Wednesday morning as vote-counting was starting in the United States.

Japan's finance minister says he wants an operator of an e-money service and banks to put top priority on protecting depositors, following a major fraud case.

Aso Taro was speaking on Friday following revelations that bank customers had their savings stolen by scammers who abused telecom giant NTT Docomo's cashless payment service.

Japan's Finance Minister Aso Taro has called on Diet lawmakers to swiftly approve a supplementary budget bill to implement emergency economic measures.

The extra budget for the current fiscal year will partially fund a stimulus package worth 117 trillion yen, or about 1.1 trillion dollars, to shore up Japan's economy, which has been severely affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The package includes a cash handout of 100,000 yen to all residents in the country.

Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso and US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have agreed that their nations will cooperate with the other Group of Seven members in responding to the coronavirus outbreak.

Aso and Mnuchin spoke over the phone on Tuesday.

Japan's finance minister Taro Aso has warned his G20 counterparts about digital currency, saying more work is needed before any issuance.

In a news conference after the meeting of the Group of 20 finance ministers and central bank chiefs in Saudi Arabia, Aso said regulations on digital currency should be drawn up to avoid potential risks such as money laundering.