TOKYO: The Japanese government said Friday that it will spend some 116 billion yen out of its fiscal 2023 reserve funds to support people affected by the magnitude-7.6 earthquake that hit the Noto Peninsula in central Japan on New Year’s Day.

The money will be used to finance an expanded subsidy program for the reconstruction of quake-damaged houses.

It is the third time that the government has decided to tap its reserve funds for relief to the quake. The total expenditure will top 270 billion yen after the third tranche.

During a trip to areas hit by the quake on Saturday, Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio said the government will expand its housing subsidy program to cover not only elderly or disabled people but also low-income households headed by working generations.

JIJI Press