JIP Leader Negative on Ending Coalition with LDP

Tokyo, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)–Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin no Kai) leader Hirofumi Yoshimura on Thursday sounded negative about ending his party’s coalition with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party even if a bill regarding a reduction in House of Representatives seats is not put to a vote during the current parliamentary session. On a radio program, Yoshimura indicated that even if a vote is not taken on the bill at the political reform special committee of the Lower House during the ongoing extraordinary session of the Diet, or parliament, that would not mean that the coalition agreement between the LDP and the JIP was broken. The JIP leader’s flexibility may affect the maneuvering of both the ruling and opposition camps in the final phase of the Diet session, which is scheduled to end Wednesday. The bill, setting a road map for a cut in the number of seats in the all-important Lower House, which stands at 465, was submitted to the chamber by the ruling parties on Dec. 5. Regarding the envisaged reduction in Lower House seats, Yoshimura said that the LDP-JIP coalition agreement calls on the two parties to submit a related bill to the extraordinary Diet session and aim for enacting it during the session. “The fact that the LDP and the JIP submitted the legislation (to the Diet) means that a promise in the coalition agreement has been kept,” Yoshimura said, praising Prime Minister and LDP President Sanae Takaichi for working hard to form a consensus within her party. On whether the JIP, which became the LDP’s partner in October in place of Komeito, will leave the coalition if the special committee fails to vote on the bill, Yoshimura said, “We didn’t form the coalition so lightly.” At the same time, Yoshimura said, “We won’t give up until the very end,” stressing his intention to continue seeking cooperation from opposition parties to put the bill to a vote during the current Diet session. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]