Government sources said that the Japanese government is considering supporting tourism-related companies that were severely affected by the strong earthquake that struck central Japan on New Year's Day.

The government will specifically support up to 20,000 yen per night in hotel fees for each guest, according to the Japanese news agency "Jiji Press".

This measure will be part of a planned aid package for people and companies affected by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale, which mainly struck the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture.

Government sources mentioned that the package is expected to be approved at a Japanese Cabinet meeting this week.

The sources said that the support plan, covering Ishikawa and the nearby Toyama, Fukui, and Niigata prefectures, is likely to be implemented in the coming March and April.

The package is also expected to include up to 1.5 billion yen in aid to restore facilities of small businesses, measures to help rebuild the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sectors, and facilitate the restoration of infrastructure such as roads and ports.