Dec 14 (NHK) - Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has indicated that he will allow local governments to provide planned one-time handouts to families with children entirely in cash before year-end.
Kishida was speaking at the Lower House Budget Committee on Monday.
The central government plans to provide financial support of 100,000 yen, or about 880 dollars, to children aged 18 or younger.
It had originally hoped to split the handout into cash and coupons so the money would be spent, not saved. But some local governments opposed the plan, saying it would be time-consuming and costly. The government has been trying to come up with a flexible way of providing the handouts.
Kishida said he will consider allowing the option of payments entirely in cash before year-end. He said the government will take this into account as it works out the details of the scheme.
He also said the government will not set any conditions that local governments must meet to be eligible to give all-cash handouts.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu was asked by reporters whether the government changed its initial policy on the matter.
Matsuno said the government remains unchanged in its basic policy to provide half of the handout in coupons in the spring, when the new academic year starts. He said the government plans to add an all-cash option in response to local governments' calls for a more flexible scheme.
