JAPAN

Hike in Public Spending to Be Sought: The Finance Ministry will propose a 4.8% increase in public spending--to $68.5 billion--for the next financial year, starting in April, the Nihon Keizai newspaper said. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party will urge the government not to issue deficit-covering bonds to finance spending, the paper said. Deliberation on the supplementary budget for this financial year is being delayed because opposition parties insist that former ruling party strongman Shin Kanemaru testify under oath on his involvement in a payoff scandal before the budget is discussed.