Japan Finance Minister: Not considering compiling extra budget now to respond to coronavirus

FILE PHOTO: Japan's Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Taro Aso, wearing a protective face mask, delivers his policy speech at the opening of an ordinary session of the parliament in Tokyo, Japan January 18, 2021. REUTERS/Issei Kato

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's government is not considering crafting a supplementary budget to respond to the coronavirus pandemic immediately given there's still money left to tap in the emergency budget reserve, Finance Minister Taro Aso said on Friday.

Earlier in the day, the cabinet decided to spend 512 billion yen ($4.67 billion) in the budget reserve to secure coronavirus vaccines to contain the spread of the COVID-19 infections, Aso told reporters after a cabinet meeting.

($1 = 109.6000 yen)

(Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Click For Restrictions -
https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.html