TOKYO, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Japan's parliament on Friday approved a bill to raise the annual salaries of senior government officials, including the prime minister and his cabinet members.
The House of Councillors, the parliament's upper chamber, gave the greenlight to the bill following passage at the House of Representatives, the lower chamber, on Tuesday.
Under the revised law, the annual salaries of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Cabinet ministers will increase by 460,000 yen (3,074 U.S. dollars) and 320,000 yen to 40.61 million yen and 29.61 million yen, respectively.
The revision has triggered criticism from opposition parties amid inflation affecting the general public.
In response to the resistance, the Japanese government said last week that Kishida, his ministers and some other senior officials have agreed to voluntarily return the increased amount to the state coffers. (1 U.S. dollar equals 149.7 yen) ■