Executives of the Democratic Party of Japan adopted a pledge Thursday to seek a 30 percent cut in public works expenditures over five years in the runup to next summer's House of Councilors election.

DPJ leaders also approved the party's pledge to slash dam projects and instead promote the use of natural solutions to flood problems, such as harnessing the water-holding capacity of forests.

Senior DPJ members said the party's policy list in preparation for the Upper House election -- covering the six main areas of decentralization, social security, education, public finance, information technology and public works -- clearly contrasts with the policies of the ruling coalition -- the Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito and the New Conservative Party.

The DPJ will also pitch reforms in 21 other areas, including child support benefits, a new environment tax, judicial reform and increased participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations.

The party's decentralization policy aims to devolve power by letting local government units have more control over state subsidies.

For fiscal reform, the DPJ is calling for a balanced budget -- excluding government bond debts and revenues -- within five years, and introduction of taxpayer identification numbers to help make tax collection more transparent. It wants to see more privatization and subcontracting of government tasks.

In social security, the party wants the government to increase its contribution to the basic pension from the current one-third to 50 percent immediately, and to 100 percent within five years, paid for by a consumption tax hike and other measures.

In education, the DPJ proposes removing education from the brief of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to be launched next month, and instead creating an independent education board. It also wants to reduce class sizes and place students according to academic ability.