Ryutaro Hashimoto, the newly appointed minister for administrative reform, on Friday repeated his call for the health and industry ministers to sit on a new budget and economic policy body to be launched next month.
The former prime minister, who assumed the administrative reform post in Tuesday's Cabinet reshuffle, said the Cabinet Office law limiting membership of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy to 10 should be revised if necessary.
Hashimoto was the central figure in mapping out the administrative reform plan in 1997. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda, however, said he opposes revising the law to expand the council's membership.
He told reporters the council's function is chiefly to take into account the opinions of the private sector in compiling budgets and economic policy.
Hashimoto told a press conference that the health, labor and welfare minister and the economy, trade and industry minister should join the council to be launched Jan. 6 as part of the realignment of ministries and agencies. Currently, the Finance Ministry monopolizes the compilation of the budget.
The prime minister, chief Cabinet secretary, finance minister and people from the private sector are expected to become members of the body.
Health and Welfare Minister Chikara Sakaguchi, who concurrently serves as labor minister, called Hashimoto's proposal a "matter of course." Sakaguchi will be health, labor and welfare minister from Jan. 6.
International Trade and Industry Minister Takeo Hiranuma, who will be economy, trade and industry minister, said he had also "insisted" on his participation.
Economic Planning Agency chief Fukushiro Nukaga, who as state minister for economic and fiscal policy will take charge of the council, said he plans to pick the members by around Dec. 20.