A House of Representatives advisory panel recommended Thursday that politicians' family members and relatives should be prohibited from becoming their government-paid secretaries.
The panel also said secretarial salaries should be paid directly from the government. Currently, the government may transfer the salaries of the aides to the bank accounts of the Diet members who hire them.
In its final recommendation submitted to Lower House Speaker Tamisuke Watanuki, the panel said lawmakers should consider prohibiting government-paid secretaries from holding concurrent jobs and setting a mandatory retirement age of 70.