The Board of Audit of Japan is seen in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward. (Mainichi/ Hitoshi Shibanuma)

       TOKYO -- The Japanese government left more than 22 trillion yen (about $200 billion) of the budget set aside for dealing with the coronavirus pandemic unused between fiscal 2019 and 2020, the Board of Audit of Japan has revealed.

       While the government budgeted a total of 65.4165 trillion yen (about $575.90 billion) for responding to the coronavirus, only 65% of the amount, or 42.5602 trillion yen (about $374.64 billion), was used, leaving 22.8560 trillion yen (about $201.24 billion) left over. Most of the unexecuted budget amount, at 21.7796 trillion yen (about $191.75 billion), was carried over to the following fiscal year, while 1.0763 trillion yen (about $9.47 billion) was deemed unnecessary.

       The audit board has asked the government to execute budgets properly and provide sufficient explanations to taxpayers.

       The board examined the status of budget implementation regarding 770 of the 854 projects that government ministries and agencies classified as coronavirus-related. Those 770 projects had been clearly allotted for COVID-19 countermeasures and their budget use analyzable.

       Of the 770 projects, 296 for economic and employment measures saw their budgets unexecuted, forming the largest group. Of the 46.1529 trillion yen (about $406.26 billion) earmarked for the 296 projects, a little over 13 trillion yen (about $114.43 billion) was carried over to the following fiscal year.

       Meanwhile, regarding temporary state subsidies for local governments to use freely to tackle the coronavirus crisis, a total of 7.8792 trillion yen (about $69.37 billion) was budgeted for three projects, but roughly only 33% of the sum was implemented, leaving 5.2640 trillion yen (about $46.34 billion) carried forward to the following fiscal year.

       (Japanese original by Masakatsu Yamasaki, Tokyo City News Department)

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