Members of Japan's newly appointed Cabinet said Sunday they are considering further economic stimulus measures to address consumer concerns about rising prices. Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda replaced several key ministers Friday in a move aimed at boosting public support for his government, which has dropped to around 20 percent in recent months amid a series of political scandals and bureaucratic blunders. New Finance Minister Bunmei Ibuki said earlier steps taken by the government were insufficient and “we have to take additional economic stimulus measures.” An additional budget for the current fiscal year is among the options, he said, appearing with six other new ministers on public broadcaster NHK. “We have to think what we can do after using it (the current budget) up,” he said. Japan recently introduced measures to ease the impact of global price rises, including a 74.5 billion yen (US$690 million) aid program for fishermen hurt by higher fuel prices. Japan's economy has shown signs of deterioration in recent months, with unemployment rising and consumer spending falling. Japan's jobless rate climbed to 4.1 percent in June from 4.0 percent in May, reaching the highest level since last September. Household spending in June dropped 1.8 percent from a year earlier. “The impact of the rising fuel prices on the local economy is extremely serious,” Trade Minister Toshihiro Nikai said. “The entire government must make all-out efforts to overcome the difficult situation.”
