Almost half of the nation's municipalities speak out against government's pension plan

A survey has found that as of March 29, 1,507 or nearly half of the municipalities throughout Japan have protested to the government's plan to increase pension premiums and reduce pension benefits. The survey was conducted by the All Japan Pensioners' Union.

Disagreement has been expressed in one way or another by 1,181 towns and villages, 318 cities and wards, and eight prefectures.

The Koizumi Cabinet and the ruling parties plan to have the Diet start discussing the adverse revision of the pension system on April 1 to set a new mechanism to automatically cut pension benefits across-the-board.

The municipalities expressing opposition to the government plan are calling for the across-the-board reduction in pension benefits to be canceled, the portion funded by the government for the pension system to be increased as soon as possible, and the heavier tax imposition on pension benefits to be canceled.

The Nonoichi Town Assembly in Ishikawa Prefecture in central Japan pointed out in its opinion that the government plan would lose public trust in the pension system, give pensioners more anxieties, put a curb on consumer spending, and thus have adverse effects on the country's economic recovery. The town requests that the government stop implementing across-the-board reductions in pension benefits and establish a stable pension system funded largely by the government. Only the Komei Party voted against this opinion in the town assembly. (end)