Welfare minister Chikara Sakaguchi on Tuesday announced plans to speed up the drafting of public-pension reforms and reveal the scheme this summer, a few months ahead of schedule.

"We intend to display the outline of the pension system reforms our ministry is envisioning before the framework of budget requests for fiscal 2004 take shape by the end of August," said Sakaguchi, head of the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.

Sakaguchi voiced his opposition to the goal of curbing the growth of the potential public burden.