While the entire world struggles to recover from the losses that have been caused by COVID-19, governments have been allocating funds towards relief for victims. Each country is using its resources in a way that benefits its unique needs.
Noto, a seaside town in Japan has made heads turn around the world for constructing a giant squid statue with their COVID relief funds. The 13m-long statue is situated in the port of the town, where flying squid is a preferred dish. This insensitive move by the town has been chided by people from all over the world. When asked about it, officials in the town had replied saying that this was a move that had been taken by the local government to bring back tourists to visit the town after the pandemic.
It is to be noted that Japan recently had a sudden surge in cases and had been struggling to get back on its feet. In lieu of this, the Japanese government had allocated funds to its various prefectures, and Noto had received 800m yen ($7.3m; £5.3m) through the national grants. It was this money that had been used to build the squid statue.
Another noteworthy point is that this year’s Olympics are scheduled to be hosted by Japan, albeit with any visitors from the country or across the world.
Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.