The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) on Tuesday failed to reach an agreement with two smaller allies over forging a tripartite coalition due to their differences on foreign and national security issues.
The policy chiefs of the DPJ, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the People's New Party (PNP), who were not able to reach a consensus on policies, are expected to resume talks on Wednesday.
The three sides differed over the "so-called Okinawa issue," which refers to the relocation of U.S. military facilities in the southernmost Japanese prefecture.
On foreign and national security issues, the SDP opposes any overseas deployment of the Self-Defense Forces while the PNP wants to reverse the postal privatization initiated by the Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling bloc.
Despite the clear splits, DPJ President Yukio Hatoyama, who is to be elected prime minister on Sept. 16, is set to meet with his SDP and PNP counterparts Mizuho Fukushima and Shizuka Kamei in a bid to strike a pact on the coalition by the end of Tuesday.
The three secretaries general are also to negotiate on issues such as the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean, the SDF's antipiracy mission in waters off Somalia, and the DPJ's campaign pledge to cut the number of lower house members under the proportional representation system.
If the pact on a tripartite coalition is finally concluded, the SDP and PNP chiefs will be invited to join Hatoyama's envisioned cabinet.
(Xinhua News Agency September 9, 2009)
