The government should scrap public works projects that have not been started five years after their approval, a top official of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party said Thursday.
Shizuka Kamei, head of the LDP's Policy Affairs Research Council, added that projects should also be abandoned if they remain unfinished 20 years after their initial completion date.
However, Kamei said alternatives could be considered for projects that were not initiated for sound reasons.
He added that projects launched but later frozen under the government's reassessment criteria -- those not started after five years and those not completed after 10 -- should also be abandoned.
The LDP is currently reviewing government policy on public works projects with the aim of boosting efficiency.
Based on Kamei's ideas, the party is expected to draw up guidelines by mid-August to identify projects to be scrapped.
Kamei said the LDP intends to negotiate with coalition partners New Komeito and the New Conservative Party to come up with a unified stance on the issue by the end of the month.
Meanwhile, Vice Finance Minister Toshiro Muto told a news conference the same day that his ministry would cooperate with the LDP's efforts to streamline public works projects.