The Democratic Party of Japan is in a bind over whether an administrative reform bill it plans to submit should specify a 20 percent cut in overall personnel costs of central government officials.
Although the ruling party trumpeted the 20 percent figure in its election manifesto, some DPJ members are dreading the thought of being grilled in the Diet by opposition lawmakers over what many believe to be an unrealistic reduction target.
The DPJ hoped to make the 20 percent cut a centerpiece of its efforts to build public support for a plan to increase the consumption tax rate. (Yomiuri)
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