A key Lower House committee on Friday passed a bill that would hike the wages of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, his Cabinet ministers and about half of the country's national-level civil servants amid harsh criticism from opposition parties.
At a time when households are bearing the burden of rising prices, the bill would give Kishida a yearly raise of ¥460,000, bringing his annual income to ¥40.61 million. Ministers, meanwhile, would receive a pay bump of ¥320,000 per year, with their annual salary reaching about ¥29.61 million.
Provisions for a ¥180,000 hike in the year-end bonus for lawmakers, as well as pay hikes for specific categories of civil servants, are also included in the bill.