Japan Starts Down Road to Earthquake Reconstruction
A supplementary, $50 billion (¥4.015 trillion) budget passed by the Japanese Diet last week to aid regions damaged by the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011, will focus resources on quickly repairing roads and port facilities, debris removal and support for disaster survivors. A second, much larger supplementary budget is expected to follow for full-scale reconstruction later this summer, according to the Tokyo-based, English language newspaper, the Daily Yomiuri.
The budget includes about $15 billion for public works projects to repair and improve roads, ports and river-related facilities; $4.4 billion for debris removal; and about $7.5 billion to support disaster survivors, such construction of temporary housing and reducing health insurance premiums. Another $65 million was appropriated to aid farmers and business owners whose operations have been halted by the disaster.