Society

Japan plans bond issue to fund Y2 trillion additional budget for fiscal 2017

Nov 22 (Japan Times) - The government will draw up a fiscal 2017 supplementary budget for additional spending of some Â¥2 trillion, including for setting up nursery facilities to accept 320,000 children on waiting lists ahead of schedule as pledged by the ruling coalition in the Oct. 22 general election.

To compile the extra budget for the year ending next March, the government aims to tap into about Â¥200 billion in fiscal 2016 budget surplus, and some Â¥1 trillion in funds for debt-servicing that were not used as a result of the Bank of Japanâ€™s introduction of a negative interest rate in February last year, sources said.

But because there will still be a revenue shortfall, the government plans to issue new construction bonds worth hundreds of billions of yen, the sources said, adding that no deficit-covering bonds will be newly placed.

The planned supplementary budget will also fund disaster prevention and post-disaster reconstruction projects, as well as measures to assist the domestic primary industry following a broad free trade accord reached between Japan and the European Union earlier this year.

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper Thieves Target Japanese Shrines

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

1200-Year-Old Temple on Miyajima Reduced to Ashes

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

From Bento Boxes to Garbage Bags, Rising Costs Hitting Daily Life Across Japan

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

Tochigi Robbery-Murder Suspect’s Wife Posted Dance Videos on Social Media

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

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