- 11,438 people are confirmed dead from the March 11 earthquake and subsequent tsunami
- A total of 16,541 people are still missing and about 2,873 are reported injured
The cataclysmic earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan earlier this month may cost as much as 25 trillion yen (US $300 billion) in rebuilding and reconstruction efforts, a Japanese official said.
Deputy Finance Minister Mitsuru Sakurai told reporters that the government is currently preparing a supplemental budget, in an effort to immediately infuse money and resources into the hardest hit areas outside of the standard annual budget process. The cost of that bill alone could be well over 10 trillion yen.
Japanese authorities are trying to evaluate the overall economic impact of the disaster. Currently, Sakurai said the estimates range from 16 trillion to 25 trillion yen. “(But) we might have to consider to put more money in,” he added.
According to official figures provided by Japan’s National Police Agency 11,438 people are confirmed dead from the March 11 earthquake and subsequent tsunami. A total of 16,541 people are still missing and about 2,873 are reported injured.
