Japan’s Ishin Party Leaders to Finalize Coalition Talks With LDP

Japan’s Ishin opposition party held an executive meeting on Sunday as it mulled the possibility of joining forces with the ruling party, a decision that could determine the country’s next prime minister.

The reformist, right-leaning party is working out the details of a potential agreement with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party for a possible policy alliance by Monday, Ishin’s co-leader Fumitake Fujita told reporters after the meeting, without elaborating. Fujita said the final decision will be made by him and co-leader Hirofumi Yoshimura. 

Local media reported Ishin, as the Japan Innovation Party is known, will likely form an alliance with the LDP on the prime minister vote — a move that would boost the chances of LDP’s Sanae Takaichi to become the country’s first female leader.

Among the options Ishin is considering is extra-cabinet cooperation — an arrangement in which an opposition party backs a minority government without joining the cabinet or creating a formal coalition, the Kyodo news agency reported. TV Asahi said Ishin and LDP are set to sign a coalition agreement Monday.

Ishin and the LDP together hold 231 seats in the powerful lower house of parliament. While that’s still two seats short of a majority, the rest of the opposition appears unlikely to unite around an alternative candidate, making Takaichi almost certain to win the vote.

The LDP is prepared to accept Ishin’s demand for a 10% cut in the number of lawmaker seats, a major hurdle for the deal, TV Asahi cited an unidentified person as saying.

With assistance from Alastair Gale, Hidenori Yamanaka and Kazu Hirano.

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