Japan PM Kishida pledges new steps to deal with rising fuel, food prices

TOKYO: Western Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday (Aug 12) he will instruct their government to come up with extra measures to cushioning the economic strike from rising power and food costs.

Kishida said he will concern the order in a meeting of a federal government panel on Mon that will discuss actions to help retailers plus households cope with rising living costs.

“I will order additional, seamless steps to be taken focusing on energy and food costs, which make up most of the recent rise in inflation, ” Kishida informed reporters.

Coping with rising living costs has become one Kishida’s top policy focal points to underpin usage and ensure Japan’s economic climate makes a sustained recuperation from the pandemic’s harm.

While considerably modest than in additional advanced countries, Japan’s consumer inflation surpassed the central bank’s 2 per cent target for three straight a few months in June due largely to increasing fuel and global raw material expenses.

Right after reshuffling his cabinet on Wednesday , Kishida told the news conference the government will touch reserves for the time being to fund the additional steps.

But he also said the government is ready to take further procedures if inflation is constantly on the rise, a possible touch that an extra spending budget could be compiled later on this year to cushioning the blow on the economy.