Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda hinted Friday that the government could establish a panel to decide on reforms of state-backed financial entities, a decision that would effectively postpone a conclusion on the contentious issue.
The fate of the eight financial institutions is one of the last areas that must be ironed out before the government can finalize a draft report on reforming public corporations by Tuesday.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi wants to drastically reform the entities but faces opposition from some lawmakers in the Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partners, New Komeito and the New Conservative Party.