Japan. Abe survives no-trust vote over pension report scandal
The opposition bloc tabled the motion in Japan’s National Diet just before the current parliamentary term was due to come to a close. Given the ample majority enjoyed by Abe’s government in both of Japan’s parliamentary chambers, the no-confidence vote was never expected to pass.
Opposition parties moved against the head of government following a controversial government report earlier this month that underscored the unsustainability of the public pensions system and seemed to encourage private savings as a way to supplement payments, Efe news reported.
The report, prepared by the Financial Services Agency, said that a couple that retires at the age of 65 in the coming years would need personal savings of 20 million yen (around $186,000) to supplement their pensions if they are to look after themselves till the age of 95.
Faced with a backlash, including from members in his own Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Abe labelled the report “erroneous” and decided to scrap it.
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