Japan tsunami relief funds misspent

Nearly 18 months after the tsunami and subsequent nuclear meltdown that devastated Japan, an independent audit has found large amounts of recovery funds have been misspent.

Less than half the 19 trillion yen ($228 billion) allocated to disaster-ravaged communities has been spent, and countless examples have emerged of unrelated pork-barrel projects getting funding instead.

Included in the spending is substantial subsidies for a contact lens factory, money for stadium upgrades and roads in unaffected areas and upgrades to the country's whaling fleet.

Meanwhile, hospitals in the devastated Iwate Prefecture remain closed because of an inabilty to pay for equipment.