Amid growing public distrust of the pension system, the ruling coalition rammed government-sponsored pension reform legislation through a House of Representatives committee Wednesday in the opposition's absence.
The ruling coalition hopes the contentious bills will clear the Lower House at the first plenary session after the Golden Week holidays and be passed by the June end of the current Diet session.
The committee was thrown into turmoil Tuesday, when the government rejected an opposition request for members of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Cabinet to disclose information on their mandatory premium payments into the ailing pension system. Welfare minister Chikara Sakaguchi promised at a committee meeting Friday that the Cabinet members would do so, following revelations that three ministers had not paid up.