Japan to use over 20 bil. yen from reserve funds to address quake: Takaichi

TOKYO - The Japanese government will tap over 20 billion yen ($130 million) from its reserve funds to support areas hit hard by a massive earthquake in the southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto nearly a week earlier, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Monday.

Takaichi's Cabinet will give the green light Tuesday on the use of fiscal 2026 budget's reserve funds, which total about 1 trillion yen, she told reporters in Kumamoto, the capital of the prefecture, after visiting areas devastated by last Tuesday's magnitude-7.1 temblor and exchanging views with Gov. Takashi Kimura.