Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s “cash handouts” require expenses for distribution. An investigation into the “administrative expenses” of the 14 cash handouts since the COVID-19 outbreak

Require to read the whole article at a library but seems interesting.

The government and ruling party are showing a willingness to discuss cash payments with the Constitutional Democratic Party, aiming to fulfill their pledge from the Upper House elections. Since the fiscal year 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the government has provided 14 different cash payments, totaling about 20.97 trillion yen. However, handling these payments incurred approximately 481.8 billion yen in administrative costs, which also placed a significant burden on local governments responsible for implementation.

Costs such as printing and mailing have previously faced criticism. On February 4th, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba showed eagerness to work with the Constitutional Democratic Party on cash payments during a House of Representatives budget committee meeting. Responding to a proposal from Yoshihiko Noda, the leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party, Ishiba agreed to seriously consider discussions about cash payments, tax cuts, and tax credits attached to payments.

Since the COVID-19 crisis, the government has initiated 14 projects, including the special flat-rate payment of 100,000 yen per person in 2020. These projects have faced criticism in the National Diet due to high administrative costs. The paper compiled administrative expenses from these 14 projects using data from the Cabinet Office and reports from the Board of Audit, using budget figures for projects with unconfirmed costs.