最大４０万円、３月にも支給　時短支援、飲食店取引先―経産省

　経済産業省は１２日、緊急事態宣言に伴う営業時間の短縮要請に応じた飲食店の取引先などに対し、最大で中堅・中小企業に４０万円、個人事業主に２０万円の一時金を支給すると発表した。宣言による経済への影響軽減が狙い。早ければ３月ごろの支給開始を目指すが、不正受給を防ぎながら迅速に給付する仕組みづくりが課題となる。
　一時金は、宣言が発令された東京都など１都３県の飲食店と直接・間接の取引がある全国の事業者が対象で、昨年の１月または２月と比べて売り上げが半減したことが条件。宣言に伴う外出自粛で影響を受けたカラオケ店などの事業者も対象とする方向だ。梶山弘志経産相は１２日の記者会見で、大阪府などが宣言の対象地域に追加された場合は「柔軟に対応する」と支援対象に含める意向を示した。
　一方、具体的な制度の検討はこれからだ。対象となる事業者は少なくとも「数十万件規模」（同省関係者）に上る見通し。膨大な数の事業者に迅速な給付が求められる困難な事業となる。（2021/01/12-18:09）

The Japanese government will offer one-off cash benefits of up to 400,000 yen to suppliers for eating and drinking facilities complying with requests for cutting business hours under a fresh novel coronavirus state of emergency, industry minister Hiroshi Kajiyama said Tuesday.
   Midsize and small firms will be given a maximum of 400,000 yen, and self-employed people will get up to 200,000 yen, he said. The payments are expected to be made in March or later.
   The aid scheme will cover suppliers across the country directly dealing with eating and drinking establishments in Tokyo and the neighboring prefectures of Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa, which were put under the state of emergency on Friday.
   Eligible for the relief will be businesses whose sales have halved from the levels in January or February last year. The program will also cover indirect suppliers, such as farmers and fishers.
   Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Tuesday that the government plans to expand the coronavirus emergency to include the western prefectures of Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo. Kajiyama said that "we will act flexibly" in applying the aid program if the prefectures are added to the state of emergency.