Kanzaki tells Ozawa he will meet Obuchi on Mon

Japan Policy & Politics, July 26, 1999

TOKYO, July 22 Kyodo

New Komeito leader Takenori Kanzaki told Liberal Party (LP) head Ichiro Ozawa on Thursday that he will respond to Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi's request for his party to join the ruling coalition when he meets the premier Monday. Kanzaki made the comment in a brief meeting with Ozawa at LP headquarters in the afternoon, LP Secretary General Hirohisa Fujii told a news conference. Kanzaki is expected to tell Obuchi about his party's decision to work toward forming a new coalition with Obuchi's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the LP. The New Komeito is expected to formally decide on joining the alliance at an extraordinary party convention Saturday. Ozawa reiterated his position that matters between the LDP and the LP should be resolved first, but did not rule out the possibility of joining hands with the New Komeito in the future, Fujii said. Ozawa was referring to his desire to see the implementation of policy agreements reached between the LDP and the LP before they launched the current two-party coalition in January. The LP has threatened to pull out of the coalition if the agreements are not carried out. Among the agreements is a plan to cut the number of proportional representation seats in the House of Representatives from 200 to 150, a plan staunchly opposed by the New Komeito. The LDP and the LP have already submitted a bill to implement the cut to the Diet. Earlier in the day, Ozawa met with LDP officials who are close to Obuchi, and discussed the parties' policy agreements, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka said at a news conference. Ozawa, LDP's Tamisuke Watanuki and Mikio Aoki, secretary general of the group of LDP's House of Councillors members, agreed there are areas they still need to work on, the top government spokesman said. Obuchi plans to instruct LDP Secretary General Yoshiro Mori and Kanezo Muraoka, acting secretary general of the LDP, on Friday to work to make progress to "enhance trust in the ruling bloc" and facilitate the process of forming the new coalition with the New Komeito, Nonaka said.