Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto implied to a Diet committee March 27 that after the fiscal 1998 budget bills are passed, he will discuss revising the Fiscal Structural Reform Law, a legal barrier to powerful pump-priming measures such as income tax cuts.

He dropped the hint in response to a question during deliberations on the budget at the Upper House Budget Committee. "I don't think it is impermissible to take needed measures in response to the situations of the economy," Hashimoto said in response to a question asking if he would seek to revise the law. His comment follows yet another hint late Thursday that he will convene a meeting of the Conference on Fiscal Structural Reform to seek the law revision.

Hashimoto, chairman of the conference, dropped the Thursday hint to former Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa, who recommended that he convene the meeting. The conference consists of top officials of the government and the ruling alliance, former prime ministers and former finance ministers. The council would give him cover to reverse his economic course and spur the sagging economy.