Tokyo (EFE).- Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is closing in on a new coalition with the opposition Japan Innovation Party (Ishin) as it works to secure legislative backing for its new leader, Sanae Takaichi, to become prime minister.
Takaichi, elected LDP president on Oct. 4, met Wednesday with Ishin co-leader Hirofumi Yoshimura in the Diet in Tokyo. The meeting comes amid parallel negotiations between the LDP and other opposition parties ahead of the parliamentary vote.
The push for these alliances accelerated after Komeito — the LDP’s longtime coalition partner — withdrew from the government last week following disagreements with the conservative Takaichi.
“I judged that there is a foundation for discussions. We’ll be discussing the details from here on,” Yoshimura told reporters after the meeting.
Takaichi emphasized to Yoshimura that the basic policies of both the LDP and Ishin were “almost the same,” and invited Ishin’s support in the upcoming prime ministerial ballot.
Yoshimura, who also serves as governor of Osaka Prefecture, said he was open to beginning coalition talks. Takaichi is also expected to meet with Ishin’s other leader, Fumitake Fujita, later Thursday.
Although an LDP-Ishin coalition might form, their combined seats still fall short of a parliamentary majority, which could force them to seek additional partners. Together, they hold 231 seats in the 465-member Lower House — two short of a majority — and 120 in the 248-member Upper House, five short. EFE
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