TOKYO, June 3 (UPI) -- The Japanese government Friday approved a civil service reform measure calling for a 7.8 percent wage cut for public employees through March 2014.
The step comes a day after embattled Prime Minister Naoto Kan survived a no-confidence motion vote as the country struggles to contain the consequences of a massive nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi plant set off by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, which has also severely hit the economy.
Kyodo News said the wage cut measure, if adopted in Parliament, would result in savings of about $2.5 billion this fiscal year alone, which it plans to use for disaster reconstruction effort.
Kan survived the no-confidence threat by announcing ahead of the vote that he would step down once the nuclear plant crisis is brought under control, which may not happen until the end of the year.
However, the current political unrest is expected to continue and Kan and his government may still face problems in getting their bills passed in Parliament, the report said.
