Japan OKs 3rd Extra Budget for Tsunami Recovery

Japan has approved a 12 trillion yen ($156 billion) extra budget to fund reconstruction after the March 11 disasters and nuclear crisis.

The upper house president Kenji Hirata says the third supplementary budget for the fiscal year was approved Monday. The more powerful lower house passed the budget bill earlier this month.

The budget includes about 240 billion yen ($3.25 billion) to decontaminate areas affected by radiation leaked from the tsunami-hit Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. Japan has now earmarked at least 18 trillion yen ($234 billion) for reconstruction.

The March 11 earthquake and tsunami wiped out part of Japan’s northeastern coast and left nearly 20,000 people dead or missing.