The government and the ruling coalition adopted a proposal Friday for reforming the social security system, covering pension and medical insurance and centering on having well-off elderly people shoulder a greater burden of social security costs.

The outline stipulates, "People capable of shouldering the burden will share the burden evenly regardless of their age."

The government and the ruling camp -- the Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito and the New Conservative Party -- will soon set up a task force to discuss details of the reform, with the intention of putting the measures into effect in fiscal 2002.