It has emerged that government officials are voicing 'deep unease' over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's push to change fiscal management targets. The government is shifting its focus from the traditional primary balance surplus target to a steady decline in the combined national and local debt-to-GDP ratio, and has set out an investment plan totaling more than 370 trillion yen in public and private funds by fiscal 2040. However, the debt-to-GDP ratio could become an indicator 'beyond human control,' swayed by market trends such as interest rates, and there are persistent concerns that the main driver of fiscal discipline will be left to the markets. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara stresses the significance of this indicator, but within the ruling party, dissatisfaction with the administration is simmering against a backdrop of a weakening yen and rising long-term interest rates, and some point out that the issue could become politicized if the dollar breaks above 165 yen.