TOKYO – A Japanese coastal town built a statue of a giant squid out of the coronavirus disease 2019 funds given by the government.
The town of Noto in Ishikawa Prefecture was awarded 800 million yen in grants from the central government as part of an aid program aimed at boosting local economies amid the pandemic.
From that amount, Noto used 25 million yen to cover part of the cost of building the statue, which is four meters high and nine meters long. Total construction costs were around 30 million yen.
Squid is a local delicacy in Noto and building the statue was part of a “long-term strategy” to raise awareness about the town’s fishing industry and increase tourism, a local government official said.(Reuters)
