In October, a group of influential Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers led by former transport minister Toshihiro Nikai published a 746-page book that remains little known to the public. The story: the hidden pump-priming plan the LDP might adopt should it return to power in the Dec. 16 House of Representatives election.
In the book, two members of the party openly and proudly discuss a plan to divert much of the revenue from the consumption tax to drastically boost public works after the scheduled doubling of the levy in 2015.
"At least half of the (revenue) increase should be used to issue construction bonds" to expand the budget for public works, veteran lawmaker Bunmei Ibuki is quoted as saying in "Nihon wo Tsuyoku Shinayaka ni, Sono ni" ("Making Japan Strong and Pliable, Vol. 2").
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