Welfare recipients are asking local governments to reverse the benefit cuts launched in August, with at least 500 people filing requests in Tokyo alone on Tuesday.

Appeals were lodged in 24 other prefectures, advocacy groups said, adding that they expect more than 7,600 requests to be filed across Japan by month's end, far more than typically received in an entire year.

By comparison, 1,086 requests for benefit reassessments were filed in fiscal 2009, according to the welfare ministry.