Cash back from the government? Stupid, wasteful and ineffective - and a shameless attempt to woo voters, many Japanese say. Prime Minister Taro Aso is touting a one-time cash handout of about $120 per person, as the centerpiece of a stimulus package to revive the world's second-largest economy, mired in one of its worst slumps since World War II. But polls show that most Japanese oppose the idea - though many confess they'll take the money anyway. Under Japan's $20.4 billion plan, every resident would receive $1,500. Children under 18 and seniors over 65 would get $2 thousanden, or about $200. The plan was approved by lawmakers but remains in political limbo, with the opposition-controlled upper house holding up related legislation needed to fund the payouts. Opponents argue that most people will just save the money, not spend it. Others say it's a shortsighted plan that exacerbates the government's ballooning budget deficit. Some call it a ploy to boost the plunging popularity of Aso and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. “Japanese politicians are so immature in the way they think the economy should be run,” said Atsuko Yamaguchi, 42, of Osaka. “It's always for-the-moment kind of thinking. It's so stupid. I'm so ashamed.” Yamaguchi says she'll accept the cash because she just lost her job at a consulting firm. “But will it really be helpful for the economy of Japan?” she asks. “I don't think so.” A national telephone poll last month by the Yomiuri, the nation's biggest daily newspaper, found that three-quarters of the 1,087 respondents disapproved of the cash payouts. In a similar survey by the Asahi newspaper, nearly two-thirds wanted the government to scrap the plan. In contrast, a survey conducted last summer by the Washington-based National Retail Foundation showed that American consumers had spent or planned to spend 46 percent of $105.7 billion in rebate checks distributed last year. A spokesman for the prime minister acknowledged the public criticism of the handout but reiterated that while many people may not agree with it, that won't stop them from pocketing the cash. Mitsugu Okada, a small-town mayor in western Japan, submitted a petition to the national government on behalf of his 509 villagers _ nearly half of whom are over 65 - asking officials to disburse the cash as quickly as possible. “We have no industry, and we're old,” said Okada, leader of Kitayama village in Wakayama prefecture. “So they are certainly looking forward to the money. It's a decision that's been made, so at this point, they just want to see their cash.”
