Gov't to keep an eye on recovery budget

Gov. to review use of reconstruction budget

      http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20121007_08.html

Japanese officials plan to review whether the special budget is being used appropriately for the reconstruction of areas hit by an earthquake and tsunami in March last year.

The government plans to allocate at least 19 trillion yen, or 240 billion dollars, for reconstruction projects.

The government will finance the budget by issuing bonds and raise taxes to redeem them.

But there are reports that part of the budget is being used for unrelated projects.

Reconstruction Minister Tatsuo Hirano told reporters that he has instructed the Finance Ministry to review several projects to be financed by the budget.

Officials will examine a 29-million-dollar expense for measures to counter anti-whaling activists in the Antarctic Ocean.

They will also review a 53-million-dollar expense to build nuclear-fusion research centers in Aomori and Ibaraki prefectures