Japan Pension Reform Bill Seen Passing Diet This Session

   Tokyo, May 24 (Jiji Press)--The Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito are preparing to accept an opposition party proposal to amend a pension reform bill, paving the way for its enactment during the current session of the Diet, Japan's parliament.
   The ruling bloc will back the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan's amendment that includes a plan to raise basic pension benefits, senior LDP and Komeito members said Saturday.
   With the proposal getting the nod even from LDP members who had demanded the benefits hike be scrapped from the original draft, the bill is likely to pass the Diet, or parliament, during the current session ending on June 22.
   The level of basic pension benefits, provided to all citizens, is expected to slump over time due to the shrinking and aging population.
   The government had sought to include in the bill a plan to hike basic pension benefits by tapping reserves of the "kosei nenkin" public pension program for corporate and government workers as well as state coffers.

(2025/05/24-19:16)