During the Koizumi government, welfare expenditures were held down.

FORBES: Takenaka Heizo's Reform Plan

They include the requirement to pay for all future military expenditures, all future welfare benefits, all future Supreme Court Justices salaries, and the list goes on.

FORBES: Krugman's Four Dangerous Fiscal Fables

The issue is how to restore balance between fiscal revenues and expenditures, including for social welfare.

FORBES: Academic Appeal for "Small Government"