The House of Councilors passed a bill Friday that limits the use of pension insurance premiums to just pension payments, with the support of the Democratic Party of Japan and other opposition parties that hold a majority in the chamber.

It was the first passage of a bill submitted by the DPJ, which won a landslide victory in the July Upper House election and for the first time in half a century, prevented the ruling Liberal Democratic Party from retaining its spot as the No. 1 force in the upper chamber.

"We're really glad," said Azuma Koshiishi, chairman of the DPJ's Upper House caucus.