Opposition Parties Not to Cooperate in Vote to Select PM

Tokyo, Sept. 30 (Jiji Press)–Three major Japanese opposition parties on Tuesday found it difficult to cooperate in a parliamentary vote to select the country’s new prime minister, following the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership election scheduled for Saturday. This view was shared at a meeting of the Diet affairs chiefs of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party) and the Democratic Party for the People. The winner of the LDP election is now expected to be elected prime minister, although the LDP-Komeito coalition lacks majorities in both chambers of the Diet. The LDP-led administration is considering convening an extraordinary Diet session to select the successor to outgoing Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru on Oct. 14 or later. The schedule is expected to be finalized, including based on the LDP’s new leader. At Tuesday’s meeting, the CDP’s Hirofumi Ryu stopped short of asking Nippon Ishin and the DPFP to support CDP leader Yoshihiko Noda in a parliamentary vote to elect prime minister. Takashi Endo of Nippon Ishin and Motohisa Furukawa of the DPFP indicated that it will be difficult for the three parties to cooperate in the vote. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]