Senior government officials and ruling Democratic Party of Japan executives said Monday that advisers to the prime minister will be doubled from the current five as part of efforts to enhance politicians' initiative in decision-making.
The government and DPJ executives, including Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and DPJ Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa, also said 15 senior vice ministers and parliamentary secretaries will be added, according to the participants.
The new advisers will come from political circles and the private sector.
The manpower increase, decided at a meeting of senior government and DPJ officials, is part of efforts to revise various laws, including the Cabinet Law, during the ordinary Diet session that starts Jan. 18.
The participants also agreed to pass the fiscal 2009 extra budget and the fiscal 2010 general budget as early as possible and to meet around once a week. Monday's meeting was also attended by Finance Minister Naoto Kan and DPJ Deputy Secretary General Azuma Koshiishi.
Pact report delayed
Kyodo NewsA government panel decided Monday to postpone filing a report on its investigations into four secret Japan-U.S. pacts, officials said.
The pacts reportedly involve the 1960 revision of the bilateral security treaty and the 1972 reversion of Okinawa to Japanese control.
The panel, headed by University of Tokyo professor Shinichi Kitaoka, had planned to complete the report by the end of January, but it wants to conduct more investigations before filing its findings with Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada, the officials said.
Because of the panel's delay, the administration won't be able to disclose the secret pacts by the end of this month as planned.
The panel will set a new deadline, the officials said. It initially planned to compile a report by the end of November before putting it off to the end of this month.