Japan Approves $4.6 Bln to Support Businesses Hit by Pandemic

Japan's cabinet said on Friday it would spend $4.59 billion (500 billion yen) in emergency reserves to support companies affected by the pandemic.

The stimulus will be drawn from the 5 trillion yen of coronavirus-related reserves that the government has allocated as part of its budget for the current fiscal year.

The number of coronavirus deaths in Japan exceeded the 10,000 as of Wednesday, just one day after the government implemented the third state of emergency in the biggest citties

The death toll has reached 5,000, nearly a year after the country's first case of coronavirus was confirmed. But it only took three months for that number to double.

During this period, the virus especially infected the elderly. More than 66% of victims were 80 years of age or over; 23% were in their 70s; Just over 7% were in their 60s.