LDP Ready to Revise Work Style Reform Bills: Official

May 20, 2018

Tokyo- A senior official of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party expressed willingness on Sunday to revise a key part of work style reform bills in an attempt to get them to be enacted in the current session of parliament ending in a month.

On a proposed system to exempt highly skilled professionals from work hour regulations, Koichi Hagiuda, executive acting secretary-general of the LDP, said on a television program, "We're preparing to allow workers who have applied for the system to return to former status."

Nobuyuki Baba, secretary-general of Nippon Ishin no Kai (the Japan Innovation Party), which is holding talks on the bills with the LDP, said, "We need to provide the option of quitting."

The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe regards the work style reform bills as the most important legislation in the ongoing regular session of parliament.

Opposition parties have raised objection to them, including the exemption system for highly skilled workers, saying it would encourage overwork.

Hagiuda also expressed hopes to see enactment of legislation on the establishment of integrated resorts featuring casinos.

"This is a very useful tool for promoting tourism as private-sector investment can be used for infrastructure development." Jiji Press