TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso said on Tuesday he would compile a second extra budget to respond to urgent needs including disaster relief in the current fiscal year, following instructions from the prime minister.

Aso also told reporters after a cabinet meeting that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told his cabinet to take all possible steps to ease the pain from a planned sales tax hike next year when compiling the fiscal 2019/20 annual budget.

“Prime Minister Abe told us to take all possible steps to support the economy and avoid cooling domestic consumption,” Aso said.

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