The government decided Tuesday at a meeting of a key economic policy panel to use the fiscal 2010 budget to try to steer Japan out of the global economic crisis and strengthen social security.
Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano said the government may set aside special reserves in the budget to address these two key areas that have been a prime focus for Prime Minister Taro Aso.
"We're ready to boldly tackle politically sensitive challenges," Yosano quoted Aso as saying at the meeting of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, which the prime minister heads. "We're ready to distribute and concentrate human resources and the budget to our top priority issues."