The government has lost the legal right to recover the massive amount of unpaid premiums.

The Cabinet-endorsed document detailing the figures was created in answer to a request by Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Keiichiro Asao.

Asao criticized the government for trying to increase pension burdens and decrease benefits by introducing pension reform legislation during the Diet session, despite having long neglected to tackle the problem of unpaid national pension premiums.

The national pension law stipulates that if unpaid national pension premiums are not collected within two years, the government loses its claim over them.

The Japan Times Weekly: April 24, 2004
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