People of all income levels in principle, including some foreigners, will basically be eligible for the planned cash handouts aimed at giving some relief during increasingly tough economic times, the internal affairs ministry said Friday.

The eligible include Japanese nationals whose names are on local resident registers as of a designated date, which is expected to be either Jan. 1 or Feb. 1, and foreigners with permanent resident status, or with spouse or dependent visas.

Foreigners with so-called permanent settler status, such as descendants of Japanese immigrants to South America and so-called Japanese war orphans left behind in China, will also be eligible.