The Japanese government with the support of the ruling coalition plan to give 1,00,000 yen (USD 878) in cash to every citizen aged 18 and younger in a bid to mitigate the post-coronavirus effects, the Kyodo news agency reported on Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The authorities and the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Komeito Party also intend to distribute 30,000 yen among holders of the so-called "My Number" ID cards. The initiative involving the national identification system is aimed at boosting consumption and ensuring faster economic recovery after the pandemic, the sources told the agency.
The measures in question were a part of the economic agenda in the election campaign of the ruling coalition, which secured 293 out of 465 seats in the parliament's lower chamber last weekend.
The packages also aim to promote the unpopular "My Number" system, introduced in Japan in early 2016 for the country's citizens and foreigners to combine all personal data about one user from various administrative systems into one. Every holder has a personal 12-digit ID number.
However, many Japanese residents fear the system to be unreliable in terms of possible leakage of private data. According to the agency, out of nearly 127 million Japanese's population eligible for cards, only 40 per cent have them.
The government will form a supplementary budget for this year and try to get it through the parliament to fund the measures in question, according to the outlet. (ANI/Sputnik)
( With inputs from ANI )
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