Japan's government consdidering economic stimulus

Back in May 2009, in response to soaring prices due to the rising costs of commodities, Japan implemented a cash handout. It was referred to as 定額給付金, teigakukyufukin, a flash benefit for any registered resident in Japan. Youth under 18 and elders over 65 were eligible for 20,000 yen. Anybody else got 12,000 yen. I didn’t just tuck it away, as I understood it was to be spent. I bought gardening supplies and grew a whole lot of pumpkins, cucumbers, and tomatoes that I shared with the neighbours. Thanks, Prime Minister Aso. The benefit had a marginal impact on consumption, but tourism-related companies got a boost.

The 12,000 yen cash handout yielded a kabocha bonanza 

In response to the pandemic, the government provided a 100,000 yen benefit to all residents of Japan, including foreign residents. I put it away because three states of emergency grounded me. I spent a lot of time at home cooking as the school I was at moved to teaching online for months at a stretch. See my posts titled TtoE for cooking, and Plague Diary posts for the lost years.

In the face of economic turmoil thanks to that Florida guy, Japan’s government is debating some kind of stimulus or consumption tax break. One proposal in the article suggests a one-time benefit of 30,000 to 50,000 yen, and another is a break of consumption tax.

How far will 30,000 yen per person in your household go? If the government reduces consumption tax, would it be a break for you?