Japanese authorities and experts are preparing for the next steps in the fight against the coronavirus as a crucial three-week period draws to a close. The panel of experts are calling on the government to stop giving a subsidy to travel to areas where cases are rising.
The experts met on Friday, just a few days out from the end of what they had called a critical three weeks. One of the agenda items was the government's domestic travel campaign which has been in place to support the pandemic-battered economy.
A government survey has found that more than 80 percent of facilities that received subsidies to build hydrogen filling stations across Japan were actually ineligible for them.
The subsidies were being offered as part of a project by the Environment Ministry for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. The organizers of the Games have been promoting a carbon-neutral "hydrogen society," hoping to make it an Olympic legacy.
Japanese officials are stepping up efforts to tackle an increasing number of cases of fraud involving coronavirus-related subsidies.
Japan's government is providing subsidies of up to 19,000 dollars to small and medium-sized companies and up to 9,500 dollars for freelancers and other self-employed people whose earnings have dropped sharply due to the coronavirus outbreak.