Noto, Japan - Governments around the world are considering how to revive the economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. In the Japanese coastal town of Noto, officials had a strange idea and settled on using aid money for an absolutely giant squid sculpture.

Right in front of a souvenir shop on the shore of the port city of Noto, Japan lies a giant pink squid. Its huge eyes seem to follow people around, and its eight arms and two tentacles look ready to grab a tasty tourist. Good thing it's only a sculpture!

At over 13 feet tall and nearly 30 feet long, the rose colored cephalopod is said to have cost about $274,000, according to NBC News.

Videos posted by a Japanese YouTube user show that the sculpture's mouth is open, and there is another hole in the underside of the head, so you can pose for a selfie in the sea monster's maw.

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Overnight the city has become the target of international ridicule for spending so much coronavirus relief money on a seemingly frivolous purchase.

However, the squid is intended to be a big boost to the local economy.

In Noto, the sea dweller is a major part of industry with squid a local delicacy.

The sculpture is part of a long-term tourism campaign, as the travel industry within Japan has dried up due to Covid-19. In addition, the government's aid money was not earmarked for any specific purpose.

Japan made it through the pandemic relatively unscathed for a long time, but the island nation is currently in the middle of a fourth wave, with an average of more than 5,000 new infections every day. So far, more than 10,400 people have died from Covid-related illnesses.

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The government plans to spend over $700 billion to combat the effects of the pandemic, which makes the speedy squid seem strange and possibly pointless, but bearable.