Japan's new consumer office to get ¥470 million in budget

A strategic office that Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency set up in Tokushima Prefecture is expected to receive ¥470 million in budget allocation for fiscal 2021, which starts next April, according to sources. The Strategic Headquarters for Frontiers of Consumer Policy was set up in July as part of government efforts to transfer the functions of state agencies to rural areas. The Tokushima office is in charge of planning consumer administration. It will take over functions from the Tokyo office when a large-scale disaster occurs. The agency's entire budget is expected to fall 1.0% from the previous year to ¥11.8 billion.