The political football of how to curb Japan's snowballing medical expenses was high on the agenda Tuesday as the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy accelerated discussions on the fiscal 2006 budget.

At a meeting Tuesday, council members from the private sector again proposed that the government cap medical expenses in accordance with a new benchmark that would be linked to growth in the nominal gross domestic product and the state of the aging society.

But lawmakers who represent the interests of medical professionals and the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry have traditionally viewed that part of the budget as a sacred cow and oppose any major cuts.