Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday instructed ministers to map out a relief package designed to support households struggling with higher prices and stimulate regional economies, ahead of a snap election scheduled for Oct. 27. At a news conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said the government also plans to compile a draft supplementary budget for fiscal 2024 through March to fund the economic measures immediately after the House of Representatives election. Ishiba has pledged to maintain the economic policies promoted by his predecessor, Fumio Kishida, who took steps to c…