The Upper House Committee on Health and Welfare on Tuesday approved a government-proposed bill to create a public nursing-care insurance system for Japan's ailing elderly population, after introducing a revision concerning care services.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the Social Democratic Party, an ally of the LDP, supported the bill. New Party Sakigake, the LDP's other ally, has no representation on the committee.

The Democratic Party of Japan, the second largest opposition force, and the small Taiyo Party also supported the measure, saying the implementation of such a system is urgent because the nation is graying at an unprecedented pace.

The Heiseikai group, which comprises opposition forces from Shinshinto, Komei and the Japanese Communist Party, voted against the bill. The bill, which had cleared the Lower House in the regular Diet session earlier this year, is expected to receive Upper House approval during today's plenary session. It will be sent again to the Lower House because of the amendment and will probably be enacted into law as early as next Tuesday.

The amendment, proposed by the LDP, SDP and DPJ, states that the government should take steps to provide relevant care services under the planned system. Although the Health and Welfare Ministry hopes to launch the system in April 2000 to help elderly people in need of nursing care and households caring for aged relatives, it is widely feared there will be shortages of both nursing staff and facilities unless the ministry makes extra efforts.

"The government will make further efforts to prepare the infrastructure to sustain the system," Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto said during Tuesday's committee session. "The government will also promote deregulation to encourage the private sector to enter the field," Hashimoto added.

However, introducing the new system may prove problematic for Hashimoto because it calls for greater spending by the government at a time when his administration is struggling to reduce the accumulated state debt.