Japan approves stimulus package

Japan's government approved spending of 117 billion dollars in the next fiscal year on roads, houses and jobs in the region hit by the tsunami and nuclear disasters two years ago, and on other measures such as subsidies for companies that invest in saving energy.

It will also put money into research in regenerative medicine, spending 1.2 billion dollars over the next ten years to support work on so-called iPS cells, which are human cells that have been reprogrammed to make new tissue.

iPS cells are considered a promising alternative to raising human embryos, then killing them to obtain tissues for transplant.

Biochemist Shinya Yamanaka jointly won the Nobel Prize in Medicine last year for his work on iPS cells.

Japan's NHK broadcaster quoted him saying he welcomes this new pledge of long-term investment in the sector.

But Japan's budget for the coming fiscal year will also see it boost spending on troops and surveillance flights, like those near islands claimed by China. This week, Japan and China both scrambled fighter jets in the area, in perhaps their closest confrontation yet.

Listen to Alastair Wanklyn’s report: