The government adopted a 2007 economic policy package Tuesday that critics say reads like a grand wish list short on specifics, skips any hard talk about taxes until after the July election and merely vows to resolve the pension system debacle.
The package calls for greater productivity, international competitiveness and a narrowed gap in tax revenues between urban and rural areas, but analysts said the first such package by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government since he took office in September lacks focus and leaves market players unmoved.
The package has a bulging 52 pages — much longer than the ones put together by his predecessor Junichiro Koizumi. But economists say it's too broad and offers no specific ways to achieve its goals.