The Japanese port town of Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, used 25 million yen ($228,500; 164,700 pounds) in Covid-19 response contingency grants to build a giant squid monument.

The monument is a true giant squid monument, 13 meters long, 4 meters high, and weighing approximately 5 tons, and is affectionately called the "Squid King.

Noto Town is known for being one of the largest suppliers of Japanese common squid in Japan, and this is part of a long-term plan to attract tourists after the end of the pandemic. The monument was installed in April 2021 at the town's tourist facility "Squid Station Tsukumor" to increase the name recognition of squid and to promote its attractiveness.

While the budget for the construction of this "Squid King" was approximately 27 million yen at the time, many criticized the fact that more than 90%, or approximately 25 million yen, was covered by the government's temporary grant for Covid response.This was reported by the BBC, NY Times, and other foreign media.

As for the economic effects of the event, town officials say that the publicity generated by the resulting large media coverage was tremendous, and that the town's own estimates of the publicity far exceeded the 25 million yen in grant funds.

In Japan, various policies such as the Olympics and the establishment of casinos, which are considered IR( lntegrated Resorts) policies, have been delayed by the Corona disaster, and online casinos have become more well-known and gained many users in the country.

The Covid disaster is of course a major factor behind this, but online casinos also allow players to experience the real casino experience at any time and place as long as they have an Internet connection. They also offer a variety of unique casino bonuses.

The main advantage of the online casino is that you can receive various casino bonuses such as the Japanese deposit bonus.

Covid-19 has had a significant impact on the economy in many ways, but some of the response policies have been very successful such as the "Squid King".

Squid King in 2022

Although the "Squid King" was initially controversial among Noto Town residents, it has now been accepted as the main symbol of the town, and expectations for further economic benefits are growing. It will not be long before the true value of the Squid King is tested as Japan opens for tourists for the first time after a year in 2022.