Shifting away from the long-held practice of bureaucrats examining budget requests, the Government Revitalization Unit led by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Wednesday took over the task and began looking for ways to pare ministries' funding demands for fiscal 2010.

Amid a sharp fall in tax revenue, around 80 members of the body chosen from among the ruling coalition and the private sector will examine 447 public projects until Nov. 27 at a gym in Ichigaya.

This is the first time the review process is open to people other than Finance Ministry bureaucrats.