Japan’s PM To Revise Law To Implement Pay Cuts For Herself, Cabinet In Fiscal Reform Push

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is preparing to push through a revision of the public servant remuneration law that would reduce her own pay as well as that of her Cabinet ministers.

According to

The Japan Times, the proposal, which could be reviewed by relevant ministers as early as Tuesday, seeks to suspend the extra allowances that the Prime Minister and ministers currently receive on top of their lawmakers’ salaries. The initiative forms part of Takaichi’s wider plan to advance administrative and fiscal reform.

Takaichi, a long-time advocate for reducing ministerial compensation, had pledged this change at her first press conference in October. “I’ll work on a law revision so that (cabinet members) do not receive pay exceeding lawmakers’ salaries,” The Japan Times quoted her as saying.

Under current rules, Japanese lawmakers are paid JPY 1.294 million monthly. The Prime Minister receives an additional JPY 1.152 million, while Cabinet ministers get JPY 489,000 in allowances. However, cost-cutting measures are already in place: the Prime Minister voluntarily returns 30 per cent of the extra pay, and ministers return 20 per cent, reducing their allowances to roughly JPY 390,000 and JPY 110,000 respectively, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara confirmed.

The revision would formally halt the additional payments “for the time being,” according to the report.

The Japan Innovation Party (JIP), the Liberal Democratic Party’s coalition partner, has voiced strong support for the move. “It’s a wonderful initiative,” said JIP co-leader Fumitake Fujita, commending Takaichi’s reform agenda.

However, not everyone has supported the proposal. Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki described the measure as “a symbol of the deflationary mindset,” questioning its timing amid efforts to raise household incomes. One current Cabinet member admitted, “I have mixed feelings,” signalling internal divisions over the proposal’s impact.