TOKYO (AP) -- Japanese embassies have been told to cut out the fancy silverware.

The country's 186 embassies and ambassadorial residences have long used matching cutlery and dishes worldwide, all crafted by a single maker, but the practice was criticized in a government report this week.

"There is little need for a collection of tableware with exactly the same design" at all such locations, the Finance Ministry said.

The ministry said over US$1 million had been spent on nearly 18,000 items over the last three fiscal years, each adorned with Japan's official government symbol based on the flower of the paulownia tree. It recommended a competitive bidding system to replace the current use of a single supplier.

The proposals were part of a broad annual survey of government spending.

The survey also recommended more efficient use of funds in a program to attract foreign tourists, and urged Japan's armed forces to team up to buy military clothing.

Japan is scrambling to cut spending as it struggles under massive national debt. Government revenues are falling as the country's population grows older and fewer people of working age pay into government tax coffers.

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