A House of Councilors committee approved a set of bills Thursday to raise medical charges for the elderly starting in October and salaried workers in April.
The bills were approved by the Upper House Health, Labor and Welfare Committee with a majority vote by the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito and the New Conservative Party.
Opposition party members voted against the bills, saying they have not been thoroughly discussed and no public hearings have been held on them.