Students whose income from part-time work has fallen by half or more will be eligible for a 100,000 yen payment. Those from households earning too little to pay local income tax can receive another 100,000 yen.
The relief will be available to students enrolled at universities, graduate schools, junior colleges and Japanese language schools. This includes foreign students, many of whom count on earnings from now-vanishing jobs to pay their way.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government, which informed ruling-party and opposition lawmakers of the plan Thursday, expects to provide these payments to around 400,000 students. The measure will be funded with 50 billion yen from the extra fiscal 2020 budget passed last month to finance the coronavirus stimulus package.
Government officials and lawmakers are also considering some form of tuition assistance as part of a planned second supplementary budget.
Aid for students is one of five key elements in this spending plan. Other priorities are capital assistance for companies, help with business lease payments, expanded subsidies for employers that avoid job cuts by taking such steps as putting workers on temporary leave, and higher tax revenue grants to local governments.
About a third of parents in Japan postponed vaccinating their children during the coronavirus pandemic amid fears of catching an infection, a survey by a nonprofit organization showed Monday. (Japan Today) 
In a move that will affect Japanese studying in the U.S., the government there said Monday that international students attending American universities will have to depart the country or transition to another college if their classes are moved entirely online for the fall semester amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Japan Times) 
Major Japanese wireless carriers recently launched a service to provide foreign tourists with disaster relief information via mobile phone short message service in the event of an earthquake or typhoon. (Kyodo) 
Single mothers and women with less secure jobs in Japan have seen their employment opportunities upended as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage. (Japan Today) 
More than 3,400 elementary and junior high school students and teachers have contracted food poisoning at 15 schools near Tokyo due to school lunches, local authorities said Thursday. (Kyodo) 
The Japanese government compiled Wednesday a package of policy measures to promote women's empowerment, including a possible law revision to address cases of unpaid child support payments after divorce.
(Japan Times) 
A day after China passed and enacted a new national security law to govern Hong Kong, Japanese lawmakers kicked off official discussions over ways to welcome financial talent that may be contemplating leaving the international financial hub. (Nikkei) 
Immigration authorities have resumed processing of visa applications, in a move expected to speed up entry clearance for foreign nationals with applications stuck in pending. (Japan Times) 
Two universities in Osaka Prefecture evacuated their campuses on Monday after a bomb threat was made criticizing the English name of their planned new merged school, the operator of the schools said. (Kyodo) 
Japan has produced its first ninja studies graduate after Genichi Mitsuhashi spent two years honing his martial arts skills and absorbing the finer traditions of the feudal martial arts agents. (Japan Times)