Gov't to up reconstruction spending in Tohoku by Y6.5 tril

The government has already spent 25.5 trillion yen on reconstruction and clean-up from a nuclear disaster caused by the earthquake, which devastated large swaths of the country’s east coast.

I for one would love to know where all that money went to. 25.5 TRILLION yen is over what 20 billion $$$ and the folks are still suffering?

Accounts and Police Agency please start checking off-shore bank accounts!

Yep! And, at least 30% of the money will be shuffled into brown paper bags and distributed to unscrupulous employment agencies.

Yubaru: "I for one would love to know where all that money went to. 25.5 TRILLION yen is over what 20 billion $$$ and the folks are still suffering?"

Contact lens factory in Nagoya, highways in Okinawa, whaling in Antarctica... these are but a few of the ADMITTED misuses of the money donated to the Tohoku region that have gone elsewhere. You can bet since the government used Tohoku as a reason for getting the Olympics they've used a lot of money earmarked for Tohoku in construction of venues for that, etc., as well. Basically, it's probably gone anywhere BUT Tohoku, and so they are now making it seem like Abe's government is generous for finally thinking of them four years down the road.

why increas the fund when you hvaen't used all of the previous funds? such a waste of public spending.

japan politics are just on the annoying side. non of them seam to care much about their own country rather than checking if usa is ok. thats why china is more rewarded, economic success and proper protection for their own people.

More money only to be siphoned off to crooks. What about an ombudsman comprised of government, industry, academia, and local citizen's group as oversight?

Not a word of accountability. Big business in Ginza coming up , along with a nice bonanza for the Yaks.

If everyone in Japan donated 1000 yen today and the money went to where it's SUPPOSED TO GO.... The pain and suffering endured by those poor folk would end virtually overnight.

What none of this funding goes to is an integrated plan for remaking the communities devastated by the tsunami sustainable and prosperous.

Note I do not use the word "rebuilding". What use is there "rebuilding" communities which suffered depopulation and declining job prospects? Remaking is a far better word for what needs to be done.

I for one would love to know where all that money went to. 25.5 TRILLION yen is over what 20 billion $$ and the folks are still suffering?

Yubaru -- actually 25.5 trillion yen is well over $250 Billion (you were off by one decimal place). So the scale of the government failure is even worse than you stated.

Sadly a lot of this money (about 1 trillion Yen) is going to build the Great Wall of Tohoku - a 400km concrete seawall that will just further obliterate most of the towns and villages it is purportedly intended to protect. Its just too depressing to think about.....

Keep pumping money into projects that don't work, line the pockets of your friends Abe, that's all you are doing.

What's a few more trillion yen on the fire, right?