1.4 B. Yen in Japanese COVID Loans Extended to Ineligible Borrowers

Tokyo, Oct. 22 (Jiji Press)--Some 1,436 million yen in government-funded COVID-19 relief loans was extended to welfare recipients in Japan, who were not eligible for the lending, the Board of Audit of Japan has found.

Local social welfare councils provided COVID-19 relief loans to financially troubled households between March 2020 and September 2022 using subsidies from the welfare ministry.

Those on welfare were ineligible for the loans because they are already guaranteed a minimum level of living.

The Board of Audit looked into about 824.26 billion yen in such loans provided in about 2,194,500 cases in 17 of the country's 47 prefectures.

Of that amount, some 1,436 million yen in about 4,400 cases provided in 16 prefectures went to welfare recipients, according to the Board of Audit.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]