Japan's parliament to pass $241 billion extra budget to combat pandemic fallout

FILE PHOTO: A train staff member wearing a protective face mask walks on an almost empty platform on Tokyo station where fewer people than usual are seen during Golden Week holidays following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, April 29, 2020.REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's parliament is set to approve on Thursday a $241 billion (£193 billion) supplementary budget to fund a record stimulus package featuring cash payouts and loans to cash-strapped firms to cushion the economic blow from the coronavirus pandemic.

But the deepening pain from the pandemic, which has forced residents to stay home and businesses to shut down, is already drawing calls from politicians for even bigger spending.