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It sounds like a lot, but there's about a hundred yen per usd, so in govt budget terms that's single digit billions. Still, it's Japan, so it'll probably be used judiciously.

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There is not "about a hundred yen per usd".

Awesome how almost every time I see almost anything asserted on HN within my areas of expertise it will reliably be dramatically incorrect.

USD/YEN > 150

It used to be roughly that not too long ago, so it's not surprising that that's still the exchange rate people have in mind. I don't think it's worth making an issue out of or being upset by.

A 50% difference is substantial

Still single digit billions, as I said.

A dollar goes a lot further in Japan. Wages aren't inflated, workers are more efficient, and government waste is highly scruitinized.

I had a look at trends over time (https://www.macrotrends.net/2550/dollar-yen-exchange-rate-hi...) and looked back by decades. In 2013 it was 97.6, in 2003 it was 115.94, 1993 it was 111.08. So roughly around a hundred yen per usd. Before that it was 237.55 in 1983.

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