Proponent of Abenomics blasts Japan's tourism campaign as pandemic rages on

A saleswoman wearing a face shield distributes leaflets on the street amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday (August 3, 2020). - Reuters

TOKYO, Aug 3 (Reuters): Japan's multibillion-dollar campaign aimed at reviving domestic tourism is ill-timed and not the best use of taxpayer money, said Yutaka Harada, a former central bank board member and vocal advocate of premier Shinzo Abe's "Abenomics" policies.

Harada, who served on the BOJ's board until March, said that the central bank had taken sufficient steps to cushion the pandemic's immediate blow to the economy, and that fiscal policy must now take a lead role in supporting growth.