JAPAN: PM Taro Aso blames elderly for rising health costs

. TOKYO (AFP), December 12, 2008 Japan on Friday unveiled a giant 255 billion-dollar stimulus package, vowing that Asia's largest economy would be the first nation to beat a once-in-a-century financial "tsunami." Prime Minister Taro Aso, under fire for his handling of the crisis, unveiled a flurry of measures hours after another sharp selloff on Tokyo's stock market after the collapse of a US bailout for automakers. "This is a great global recession which comes once in 100 years. Japan alone cannot stay out of this tsunami," Aso told a news conference. A recent survey showed that more than one-third of Japanese companies have laid off workers or taken other steps to reduce labour costs over the past three months to cope with the economic crisis. Under the new package, the government would offer loans to temporary workers so they can keep renting homes if they lose their jobs. Aso's approval rating has dropped sharply after he made a series of offensive remarks, including blaming the elderly for rising health costs. Copyright © 2008 AFP.