The National Personnel Authority asked the government Monday to cut the basic annual salary for central government workers by 0.1 percent, or 4,000 yen, for this fiscal year through next March.

The report, submitted to the Cabinet and the Diet, also contains a drastic suggestion for reforming the pay system over five years to correct an inequity in which civil servants earn more than private-sector workers, especially outside major cities.

It is the first time in 48 years the authority has made such a drastic recommendation, it said.