CHICAGO (AP) -- Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn says $27 million in federal funds will be distributed to 44 community organizations that will help educate the public and push enrollment in the Illinois Health Insurance Marketplace.

The marketplace is a requirement of the Affordable Care Act. It requires that nearly all Americans have health insurance beginning in 2014 or pay a penalty. Enrollment in the marketplace begins Oct. 1.

Quinn on Wednesday said the groups involved in enrolling the public are "proven organizations" that have joined a movement to get the word out about health insurance options.

Among the organizations making the push to register Illinois residents in the marketplace are American Indian Health Service of Chicago, the DuPage County Health Department, Family Guidance Centers in central Illinois and the Winnebago County Health Department.

More than a year after hammering Penn State for Jerry Sandusky's crimes and nearly six months after shaking up the enforcement division because of a self-inflicted scandal, the governing body cast aside its outdated two-tiered penalty structure and deliberative hearing process in favor of new policies that could result in the suspension of coaches and more consistent punishments for major infractions.

The new rules, approved in October, officially took effect Thursday.

"I think they've certainly changed the equation a lot," NCAA President Mark Emmert told The Associated Press. "So those doing risk-reward analysis, we've just upped the ante on risk, and I think that will have a material impact on people's behavior."

Emmert called for tougher measures to go into effect two years ago during a presidential summit in Indianapolis. Now that they're finally on the books, the embattled Emmert has a rare victory in what has been one of the toughest years in NCAA history.

From the announcement of rogue staffers violating the organization's own policies to the continual critiques about how Emmert runs the NCAA to concerns about low morale inside the Indianapolis headquarters, everything has been a target. There are court cases, complaints from conference commissioners, debates over whether big-budget and small-budget schools can co-exist in the same division, and calls for Emmert's resignation.

Amid all that, many of the attempts to reform college sports have fizzled, including a $2,000 stipend for athletes that Emmert champions. The board of directors passed that measure in the fall of 2011 only to have it stopped by opposition from smaller schools, many of whom complained they couldn't afford it.

But getting tough on cheaters is something most college leaders have rallied around.

College fans will see a noticeable difference in the way cases are handled.

Instead of categorizing infractions as major or secondary, there will now be four categories. Punishments will be reduced or toughened based on whether there are mitigating or aggravating circumstances. Teams or schools found to be in "serious breach of conduct" with aggravating circumstances could face severe penalties, if not those approaching Penn State's unprecedented sanctions (four-year postseason ban and a $60 million fine).

Head coaches will find themselves under more scrutiny. By changing the burden from "presumption of knowledge" to "presumption of responsibility," head coaches could now be suspended for up to one full season if any member of their staff commits a serious rules infraction.

The changes will not affect cases that have already been heard, such as the pending case against the University of Miami, and schools that are found to have committed infractions before the board's vote on Oct. 30 will be processed under the new structure but will face penalties under the previous structure. Infractions that occurred after Oct. 30 or both before and after will face the new punishments.

"It's insufficient to say, 'I didn't have any idea of what's going on here,'" Emmert said. "When you think about the people at the highest level and who impact this the most, it's the people who are most directly involved. So the coaches have a responsibility to set the tone in that room on a daily basis and if they are not, then they will be held accountable."

The infractions committee will look different, too.

The NCAA has already increased the number of committee members from 10 to 18 and could add up to six more. Emmert and the board believes that will split the workload, allow smaller groups to conduct roughly twice as many hearings each year and expedite a decision-making process that has long been criticized as being far too slow.

For the first time, former college coaches, such as Lloyd Carr and Bobby Cremins, and former university presidents, such as Michael Adams and Carol Cartwright, will hear cases, ask questions and make decisions, too.

"There's going to be people on the committee that know and understand college sports," Emmert said. "It's a thankless job, but with this structure we will get new and varied voices in the process."

The NCAA is still facing a number of challenges, including a closely watched federal lawsuit in California many believe could change college sports.

On Wednesday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said video game maker Electronic Arts can be sued by college players who claim the company unfairly used their images without compensation. The lawsuit argues for class action status to represent all current and former players and has been combined with a similar suit filed by former UCLA basketball star Ed O'Bannon against the NCAA.

"The main thing is that this takes away their principal defense and leaves them with, what I think, is a pretty weak defense," said Rob Carey, a partner at the law firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro in Seattle, a firm that represents the players. "They know what it is and they pretended it was like this little narrow thing, and I don't think a jury will react well to that."

Emmert declined to talk specifically about the lawsuit or Wednesday's ruling, though he did say losing in the courts would have a "dramatic impact" on college athletics.

Carey and Emmert both said there have been no discussions yet about a potential settlement. Carey does not believe the case will reach the courtroom before 2015.

Over the past few weeks, several power-conference commissioners complained about NCAA governance. Emmert has spent the summer talking with those commissioners, and acknowledges changes need to be made.

Potential solutions are to be discussed at next week's board of directors meeting, though Emmert does not expect a vote on any changes until at least next August. He has also called for a January summit.

"There's an interest from the board to see some seriousness of intent and that they're really going to move on governance reform," Emmert said. "We have many different segments that are frustrated with the current environment. It needs to be done with some speed, but you've got to have some voices in it. You've got to find ways to reach out, get a lot of opinions and get people together."

Much like the NCAA did on the enforcement changes that are now in effect.

"Will they be perfect right out of the box. No, of course not, I'm sure they'll have to be tweaked or be adjusted," Emmert said. "No one believes we have found the perfect model, but everyone believes it's a significant move in the right direction."

Players were advised to be especially wary of clubs who were not playing in European competition, with FIFPro saying many of those teams have failed to keep their promises.

"FIFPro wants to caution players and unions about the bad behaviour of clubs in Cyprus, Greece and Turkey," said the Dutch-based organisation in a statement.

"Cyprus has for years occupied the first position, by a wide margin, as regards the number of disputes submitted to FIFA's dispute resolution chamber (DRC), while Greece and Turkey are vying for second position.

"In all three countries, the number of disputes increases every year. The only exceptions are those clubs that play in European football: these accept the UEFA club licensing system, which reduces the risks."

FIFPro said players had trouble getting paid and were forced to take out legal proceedings at soccer's world governing body FIFA, which could be drawn-out and expensive.

"Clubs do everything possible to win players over, offering them fabulous wages, a luxurious home, ambitious plans, a bonus for signing a contract, a bonus scheme or a percentage of a future transfer payment," said FIFPro.

"Unfortunately, FIFPro has found that many clubs don't keep these promises."

"Generally, after a few months, the club turns out to be short of financial resources, so the player has to wait months to be paid.

"Very often, he never collects (the wages). Some players find themselves forced to abandon their homes, because the club cannot or will not continue paying the rent and bonuses are never mentioned again."

FIFPro added: "A player who has lost out is left with no other option but to start lengthy legal proceedings via the Dispute Resolution Chamber in order to get what is his by right: his wages.

"Sometimes this turns out to be impossible because the club has meanwhile declared itself bankrupt." (Writing by Brian Homewood in Berne; Editing by Ken Ferris)

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Kurt is a 32-year-old IT systems administrator from Des Moines, Iowa. He has a colleague who had been prescribed "ridiculous amounts" of Vicodin for a chronic back problem.

His colleague offered him some of the pills. Soon Kurt was taking them three to four times a week to get high and relax.

"I had been prescribed Vicodin before so I knew the effects," he said. "I would come home, take a couple and pour myself a drink, to help me unwind."

He is not alone. One in 10 Americans admit taking a prescription drug they have not been prescribed, and a quarter of those people have used them just to get high, according to an ongoing Reuters/Ipsos poll. (http://link.reuters.com/ban42v)

While about six in ten Americans who used another person's prescriptions did so for pain relief, a fifth took them to sleep or to manage stress and anxiety, the poll showed.

Kurt said his colleague would give him between thirty and forty pills at a time. Usually he would take the Vicodin while alone, but he occasionally shared the pills with friends during an evening out.

After eighteen months he finally kicked the habit. "I just felt like I was using too frequently," he said.

Prescription drug misuse has reached epidemic levels and it is now the second most abused category of drugs in the United States, after marijuana, according to a survey conducted for the U.S. government.

Pharmacies in the United States dispensed more than 4 billion prescriptions in 2012, according to IMS Health, a healthcare research firm.

The poll indicated it is not difficult to get hold of such drugs even without a prescription. About two thirds of those who used other people's prescribed drugs were given them by a family member, friend or acquaintance, the poll showed. Only about 14 percent were either taken without permission or purchased.

For some, using other people's prescription drugs is a way to save on healthcare costs.

For the last two years Megan, 28, has had no health insurance after losing a job working in a hotel in Eugene, Oregon.

When she began having muscle pain around her hip last year, she sought help from her mother, not her doctor.

Her mother had recently been involved in a car accident and had been prescribed Flexeril and Vicodin for neck pain, some of which lay unused. Megan took one of each.

"Had I had insurance, I would just have gone to the doctor, but I didn't and if you go into the emergency room they just look at you like you are a drug addict looking for your next fix," she said.

Dr. Wilson Compton, a division director at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, says dosage levels of prescription drugs are particular to an individual's specific needs and warns against taking a medicine that has not been prescribed.

"Simply because it's a medicine that comes from a pharmacy does not mean it is without risk," he said. "There's a reason they require a prescription."

These results were taken from the ongoing Reuters/Ipsos online poll and include the responses of 6,438 adult Americans between July 24th and August 12th. The credibility interval, a measure of precision, for these results is plus or minus about 1.4 percentage points.

The prescription drug use questions in this story are part a polling project that began in January 2012, surveying about 11,000 people a month since. More information on these questions and hundreds of others asked since the poll started can be found at polling.reuters.com/

(Reporting By Lindsay Dunsmuir and Maurice Tamman)

Huhne, a Liberal Democrat who was secretary of state for energy and climate change in Britain's coalition government from May 2010 to February 2012, will work for two days a week for Zilkha Biomass Energy (ZBE), official documents show.

The family-owned firm said on its website that Huhne had been appointed in July as chairman, Europe, with the remit of expanding the business in the European Union.

ZBE produces biomass pellets, wood chips that are tightly compressed to fuel gas turbines which in turn produce electricity. The company also installs and operates small-scale biomass power units on customer sites.

"He was one of the pioneers in calling for political action to deal with global warming," ZBE said in a biographical note that described Huhne's career in journalism, business and politics and lauded his achievements as energy minister.

In office, Huhne spearheaded Britain's electricity market reform that aims to cut the sector's carbon emissions.

The ZBE website made no mention of the scandal that landed Huhne in prison, a bizarre tale of adultery and revenge that made front-page headlines in Britain for weeks.

Huhne and his ex-wife, economist Vicky Pryce, were convicted of perverting the course of justice over a 2003 incident when Huhne's car was caught by a speed camera and the pair falsely told police Pryce had been driving to spare Huhne a driving ban.

The deception remained a family secret for eight years but came back to haunt Huhne after he abruptly left Pryce, his wife of 26 years and mother of his three children, for his mistress in 2010.

Months later, Pryce told two newspapers about the 2003 speeding lie, in an act of revenge that ended Huhne's career, as she had hoped, but also landed her in jail.

Huhne and Pryce were both released from prison on May 13 after serving two months of their eight-month sentences.

News of Huhne's ZBE job prompted some disapproving comments from politicians, but they were unlikely to call the appointment into question as Huhne had obtained approval from the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.

(Reporting by Estelle Shirbon and Karolin Schaps, writing by Estelle Shirbon; editing by Mike Collett-White)

ABUJA (Reuters) - A wave of planned sales of onshore Nigerian assets by oil majors has prompted speculation that they are finally leaving the Niger Delta because of oil theft, gangsterism and political uncertainty.

In reality, though, foreign firms such as Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron, Eni and Total are here to stay, industry sources say.

The majors are likely to sell only small blocks that are not worth their while -- those assets worst affected by theft and sabotage or fields that risk expropriation in a government push to promote local ownership.

Meanwhile, the large oil producing blocks, huge gas deposits, key pipelines and the export terminals that control the passage of onshore oil to international markets will most likely stay in their hands -- enabling them to retain infrastructure for which they can charge rent to other users.

Complaints by oil majors that Nigeria has done little to combat oil theft or end uncertainty over changes to the fiscal regime by passing the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) are genuine, but they won't drive the firms away from the country.

"Nigeria's 'difficult' operating environment, security concerns and the non-passage of the PIB all provide useful cover for what may essentially be a portfolio optimization process," said Razia Khan, Head of Africa Research at Standard Chartered.

The global shale oil and gas boom means there are more exploration opportunities, so it makes financial sense to keep only the most profitable businesses in Nigeria, like gas for LNG export, and expand deep offshore where there is no oil theft.

If anything, they will use their grievances as leverage in negotiations with government over licenses and taxes.

OIL THEFT HEADACHES

Nigeria's oil production, which fluctuates between 2-2.5 million barrels per day (bpd), is unlikely to be hugely affected by any oil block sales in the short-term and could get an uplift in the future if smaller local companies work harder to exploit reserves or can better stem insecurity with local communities.

Tycoons Tony Elumelu and Wale Tinubu, the Oando CEO, both of them negotiating to buy oil blocks off majors, told Reuters in recent interviews they thought it would be easier for Nigerian companies with a better understanding of local issues to manage often fraught community relations.

But ending oil theft, officially estimated at 250,000 bpd, is a massive undertaking. It is often associated with criminal gangs who tap crude from pipelines for local refining, but most stolen crude leaves the country in large tankers, which could not happen without the complicity of top officials.

Shell, the largest producer in Nigeria, said last week it took a $700 million hit from theft and other issues in Nigeria, as well as the tax impact of a weakening Australian dollar.

Shell's share of output in Nigeria fell to 158,000 bpd in the second quarter, down from 260,000 bpd in 2012.

Shell CEO Peter Voser nevertheless told Reuters this month the company was not seeking to leave Nigeria. (http://reut.rs/1co5HOm)

Eni said it had lost 30,000 bpd of output in the first half of the year due to theft and CEO Paolo Scaroni said the company was "reviewing its position" in Nigeria.

Total declined to comment on its plans.

Shell, which has already sold eight blocks in the Niger Delta for around $1.8 billion since 2010, announced it will sell more fields amounting to 80,000-100,000 bpd, although it is not clear if this level of output is yet being produced.

Chevron is also selling five shallow water blocks, but would not comment further on its plans for Nigeria, while fellow U.S. firm ConocoPhillips is selling its Nigerian businesses to Oando for about $1.79 billion.

POLITICAL UNCERTAINTY

Theft may not be the only reason for selling down.

The PIB, although still in a political deadlock that has lasted five years, could change the terms for foreign companies in Nigeria and will promote local ownership of onshore blocks.

Shell, Chevron, Eni and Total have been in failed negotiations with the Nigerian government for several years to renew expired licenses on many onshore and shallow water blocks.

"Perhaps they would rather sell licenses while they still can rather than having to relinquish them for nothing," said Antony Goldman, head of Africa-focused PM Consulting.

Yet Shell recently announced it would spend $3.9 billion on a gas project and a reconstruction of a better protected Trans Niger pipeline, one of the country's most important crude oil routes and often hit by outages caused by theft or sabotage. That suggests it still sees value working onshore in Nigeria.

Shell may even buy one of Chevron's blocks, two sources told Reuters, which would provide the perfect route from one of Nigeria's largest gas fields to its LNG export terminal.

Nigeria holds the world's ninth largest gas reserves, most of which are untapped. Energy majors are increasingly moving towards gas production instead of oil in the Niger Delta.

Majors such as Shell will likely keep large pipelines and export terminals, so even if local firms are getting the oil out of the ground, where the risks of insecurity are highest, the majors can make a cut from taking oil to international markets.

"Oil majors want to keep control of this infrastructure as it means they will have a large degree of control of onshore assets and derive revenue from transportation," said Kayode Akindele, partner at Lagos-based investment firm 46 Parallels.

There is no guarantee that deals on assets that majors do want to sell can be easily or quickly completed -- Nigeria has one of the world's slowest oil contract approval times, experts say.

Some of Shell's previous divestments took years to negotiate. Buyers will also be wary of the state oil company's production arm NPDC taking over the operating rights -- as it has on previous Shell field sales where the private buyers were expecting to operate them.

Yet for the all the pitfalls, Nigeria will be keen to close the deals, which please the political elite and public alike.

"The divestment is a positive step for all the major players involved ... (it) will have a positive knock-on impact on production longer-term," said Martin Kelly, Wood Mackenzie's Lead Analyst for Sub-Saharan Africa Upstream Research.

"But ... in order to make a noticeable difference other challenges need to be addressed -- like the PIB and security."

(Editing by Tim Cocks and Giles Elgood)

Gen. Martin Dempsey went on to say the deadly arsenal is moved "from time to time," apparently so that the Syrian government can prevent rebels from capturing the weapons.

"Possibly the single point of greatest collaboration with Israel, Jordan and the United States is in identifying the potential chemical threat, its location, trying to determine the intentions of the Syrian regime," Dempsey said. "It appears the regime is moving it to secure it. But that could change."

Meanwhile, the United Nations said on Tuesday that it is still in the negotiating process with Damascus after the two sides failed to reach an agreement on safety assurances for the U.N. chemical-weapons inspection team,reported.

"Once the government of Syria confirms its acceptance of the modalities, the mission will depart without delay," said the United Nations in a statement.

"Over the weekend, the investigation team led by Dr. Ake Sellstrom completed all necessary logistical arrangements for its visit to Syria," the international organization said.

"In the meantime, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Angela Kane, has continued her consultations with the government of Syria with a view to reaching agreement as soon as possible on the modalities essential for cooperation to ensure the proper, safe and efficient conduct of the mission," the United Nations said.

The trip wason Monday after encountering logistical impediments.

It was also revealed on Tuesday that Syrian rebels -- who have long urged the West to provide them with arms -- had reached a military support deal with Sudan's government, and had already received shipments, the  reported.

Western officials and Syrian opposition forces have not been publicly acknowledged the military aid, under which rebels have received antiaircraft missiles and small-arms rounds. Munitions from the shipments have been observed on the battlefield, and have helped Syrian militants fight against the heavier firepower of the Syrian government, the Times reported.   

Muslims celebrated the Eid al-Fitr holiday on Thursday, which marked the end of the fast, but Le Guen was worried that his side would struggle, like they did the last time they travelled to Southeast Asia after Ramadan only to be thrashed 3-0 by underdogs Thailand.

"This period is always a little bit difficult, Ramadan," the former Olympique Lyon coach told reporters in Singapore on Tuesday.

"Two years ago, we played at the end of Ramadan against Thailand and we were punished. We have to remember that lesson."

Le Guen also faces the prospect of trying to lift a deflated side whose dreams of a first World Cup finals appearance ended with a narrow defeat in Jordan in June.

Oman are missing the key trio of goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi, midfielder Ahmed Mubarak and striker Amad Al Hosni for Wednesday's match and Le Guen also has concerns about the artificial turf used at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore.

"I think it will be a tough game and I am respectful of the Singapore team," the Frenchman said.

"I ask my players to be focused on tomorrow's game, because of the period (Ramadan), the quality of the opponents and the context (the artificial pitch) and to be prepared that it will be tough."

Despite the problems, Oman remain heavy favourites to follow up their opening 1-0 win over Syria and make it two out of two in Asian Cup qualifying Group A. The top two teams from the four team group will qualify for the 16-team finals in Australia in 2015.

Singapore were thrashed 4-0 by Jordan in their opening game but new coach Bernd Strange talked up the chances of a shock against his former side.

"It will be very difficult, but it is an open game," the German said.

"Pressure will be on Oman but we will do our best. We will be in good shape tomorrow and will be able to manage something. I believe if we are motivated and if we stick together as a team, anything is possible," the former Belarus coach said.

The only other Asian Cup qualifier taking place on Wednesday is in Iran where Syria will play a 'home' match against Jordan.

It will be a first competitive match for new Jordan manager Hossam Hassan who took over from Adnan Hamad who stepped down despite leading the West Asians to a first World Cup qualifying playoff against Uzbekistan.

Should Hassan carry on the good work and lead Jordan past Uzbekistan over two legs in September they will take on the fifth-placed side in South American qualifying for a berth at the finals in Brazil next year. (Reporting by Patrick Johnston; Editing by Rex Gowar)

The 30-year-old Kovalchuk walked away from the $77 million that was left on the 15-year contract he signed with New Jersey in 2010, including guaranteed annual salaries of at least $11 million over the next four seasons.

The Devils announced the news Thursday afternoon, saying that Kovalchuk alerted Lou Lamoriello, the team's president and general manager, earlier this year that he wanted to return home to Russia with his family after 11 seasons in the NHL.

"This wasn't a decision made by the New Jersey Devils," a testy Lamoriello said at the end of a conference call with reporters less than an hour after the retirement was announced.

Lamoriello refused to disclose anything about his conversations with Kovalchuk relating to the surprising retirement.

He also didn't clarify whether Kovalchuk planned to play in Russia's KHL next season as is expected or whether the Devils would retain his rights if he reconsidered his retirement, deferring to the NHL.

"All I know is that he will not be playing here at his desire," said Lamoriello, who built the Devils' three Stanley Cup championship teams and had hoped Kovalchuk would be the centerpiece of a fourth.

Lamoriello said Kovalchuk's retirement wasn't related to anything physical. The forward had back problems during the 2011-12 season and missed 11 games this year because of a shoulder injury.

"This decision was something I have thought about for a long time going back to the lockout and spending the year in Russia," Kovalchuk, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 draft, said in a statement. "Though I decided to return this past season, Lou was aware of my desire to go back home and have my family there with me. The most difficult thing for me is to leave the New Jersey Devils."

Kovalchuk was to earn $11.3 million in each of the next two seasons and $56 million over the next five years. Lamoriello said Kovalchuk didn't receive a signing bonus, so the team isn't seeking to recover any money from him.

"I am never surprised about anything that happens in this game today," Lamoriello said.

The defection means the Devils have lost a top player after each of the past two seasons. Zach Parise signed as a free agent with Minnesota after New Jersey's run to the 2012 Stanley Cup finals.

Kovalchuk's exit now deprives the Devils of a star outside of aging goalie Martin Brodeur, who is far from his prime now that he is 41.

Lamoriello wouldn't say whether the team would've done anything different had the Devils known of Kovalchuk's decision before the NHL free-agent signing period began last week.

New Jersey lost forward David Clarkson, who signed with Toronto after posting 30 goals during the 2011-12 season and 15 while playing in all 48 games during this lockout-shortened campaign.

The Devils did re-sign forward Patrik Elias and added some punch to the lineup by reaching deals last week with free agents Ryane Clowe and Michael Ryder.

"We're going to put the best possible team we can on the ice," said Lamoriello, who insisted his main focus is on moving forward.

Lamoriello wouldn't say whether the retirement soured him on Kovalchuk's four seasons with the club, but he gave the clear impression that he was miffed.

The Devils gave up a lot to get Kovalchuk from Atlanta in 2010 and maybe even more to keep him after he became a free agent following that season.

New Jersey sent defenseman Johnny Oduya, then rookie forward Niclas Bergfors and junior prospect Patrice Cormier, and a first-round selection in the 2010 draft to the Thrashers for Kovalchuk and defenseman Anssi Salmela.

After the season, the Devils signed Kovalchuk to a 17-year, $102 million contract that the NHL ruled circumvented the salary cap. The league subsequently fined New Jersey $3 million and took away two draft choices: a third round pick in 2011 and next year's first-round pick.

In tying up a huge chunk of money in Kovalchuk, the Devils also didn't have as much to offer Parise and possibly Clarkson the past two years to try to keep them with New Jersey.

Kovalchuk spent his last four seasons with the Devils. His best was the 2011-12 campaign in which he scored 37 goals. He had 11 goals in 37 games this season.

Kovalchuk scored 417 goals and 399 assists in 816 career NHL games. His best seasons were 2005-06 and 2007-08 when he scored a career-high 52 goals. He had three other 40-goal seasons.

He represented Russia at three Olympic Games, nine World Championships, one World Junior Championship and the 2004 World Cup.

Kovalchuk played in the KHL with SKA St. Petersburg during the recent lockout and was selected as team captain. He could be rejoining that club soon.

He participated in the KHL All-Star game before returning to New Jersey after the lockout. The Devils, however, failed to qualify for the playoffs in the season after they were Eastern Conference champions.

"Raising the sales tax would not lead to an increase in revenue," Koichi Hamada, who is also professor emeritus at Yale University, told Reuters.

"There is no need to raise the sales tax in a hurry. One idea is to delay everything by one year."

He added: "I feel that raising the sales tax as scheduled might hurt the economy."

Japan is due to raise its 5 percent sales tax rate to 8 percent next April and then to 10 percent in October 2015, as part of an effort to curb its debt, which is about double the size of its GDP.

But Monday's GDP data may weaken the case for the tax hike. Sources have said Abe is worried the tax increase may dampen spending and delay Japan's escape from 15 years of deflation.

Government officials have said the preliminary GDP data and revised figures due on September 9 would be key factors in the tax debate, with a final decision possible by early October.

(Reporting by Stanley White and Sumio Ito; Editing by Edmund Klamann)