The head of the nation's biggest union group urged the government to abandon policies introduced by former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, saying they have made life harder for average Japanese.
"The Koizumi era cut support for households and increased their burden, widening the income gap," Tsuyoshi Takagi, who heads the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo), said in a recent interview in Tokyo.
Takagi is on a government advisory panel that may recommend expanding unemployment insurance for part-time workers and giving financial assistance for low-income households, according to a draft report released last month. Prime Minister Taro Aso also sits on the panel, which planned to release the document Monday evening.