The ruling Democratic Party of Japan is offering opposition politicians an increased role in post-earthquake reconstruction despite the rebuttal of early attempts to form a grand coalition government.
On March 19, with the reactors at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant running out of control, Prime Minister Naoto Kan called Liberal Democratic Party head Sadakazu Tanigaki to ask him to join the Cabinet.
Kan offered Tanigaki the post of deputy prime minister and state minister in charge of reconstruction. Tanigaki rejected the idea, saying it was "too sudden."
After government estimates emerged putting total damage from the earthquake and tsunami at between 16 trillion yen ($190 billion) and 25 trillion yen, some LDP lawmakers started pressing the party leadership to join a coalition with the DPJ.
Meanwhile, the ruling camp has been trying to engage the LDP and other parties in cooperation short of a coalition.
Jun Azumi, the DPJ's Diet Affairs Committee chairman, met on Friday with Ichiro Aisawa, his LDP counterpart, and proposed setting up a cooperative forum.
"We want to compile a supplementary budget involving not only the ruling coalition, but also including the LDP and New Komeito," Azumi said.
The government is planning to put together a supplementary budget of between 2 trillion yen and 3 trillion yen by mid-April. That budget would focus on immediate measures, such as clearing away rubble and constructing temporary housing, and would likely not be opposed by the opposition parties.
By getting the LDP and New Komeito involved in putting together the supplementary budget, DPJ officials hope to draw the opposition party closer to accepting the idea of a coalition.
The government is also trying to get the opposition involved in a council tasked with drawing up the reconstruction plan, which Prime Minister Naoto Kan has said he wants established by April 11.
Kan said, "We will go beyond the differences between the ruling and opposition parties in pushing forward with this council."
In line with that sentiment, government officials have been looking to recruit executives from the opposition parties, as well as experts and representatives from the affected regions, to the council. It will decide, among other things, how to rebuild devastated communities and resuscitate the farming and fishing industries in the affected areas.
The government has also been looking to overcome party divisions in the Diet. On Friday, DPJ Secretary-General Katsuya Okada met his LDP counterpart, Nobuteru Ishihara, and asked for the opposition party's cooperation in revising the Cabinet Law to allow an increase in the number of Cabinet posts.
Okada told Ishihara that the three posts would be a state minister in charge of rebuilding after the natural disasters; a minister to take over disaster management responsibilities currently held by the environment minister; and a minister to take responsibilities for Okinawa and the Northern Territories from the chief Cabinet secretary.
Okada's approach to Ishihara was seen as an implicit offer to give the LDP Cabinet positions.
A DPJ executive said: "We can move toward a grand coalition as long as there is no mistake in how the discussions are pushed forward."
In a speech Saturday in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, LDP Vice President Tadamori Oshima told his constituents: "We have an overwhelming sense of what is needed in local communities. We will hold serious discussions."
New Komeito executives have raised concern about being left behind if discussions between the DPJ and LDP proceed.
However, with unified local election campaigns now in full swing, full-fledged discussions on forming a coalition are not expected until late April at the earliest.
Meanwhile, the People's New Party, which has been a DPJ coalition partner since the inception of the government in September 2009, is raising concerns about a three-party coalition involving the DPJ, LDP and New Komeito.
PNP leader Shizuka Kamei met with Kan on Saturday night and said he should set up a national unity Cabinet to deal with the situation.
On March 19, with the reactors at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant running out of control, Prime Minister Naoto Kan called Liberal Democratic Party head Sadakazu Tanigaki to ask him to join the Cabinet.
Kan offered Tanigaki the post of deputy prime minister and state minister in charge of reconstruction. Tanigaki rejected the idea, saying it was "too sudden."
After government estimates emerged putting total damage from the earthquake and tsunami at between 16 trillion yen ($190 billion) and 25 trillion yen, some LDP lawmakers started pressing the party leadership to join a coalition with the DPJ.
Meanwhile, the ruling camp has been trying to engage the LDP and other parties in cooperation short of a coalition.
Jun Azumi, the DPJ's Diet Affairs Committee chairman, met on Friday with Ichiro Aisawa, his LDP counterpart, and proposed setting up a cooperative forum.
"We want to compile a supplementary budget involving not only the ruling coalition, but also including the LDP and New Komeito," Azumi said.
The government is planning to put together a supplementary budget of between 2 trillion yen and 3 trillion yen by mid-April. That budget would focus on immediate measures, such as clearing away rubble and constructing temporary housing, and would likely not be opposed by the opposition parties.
By getting the LDP and New Komeito involved in putting together the supplementary budget, DPJ officials hope to draw the opposition party closer to accepting the idea of a coalition.
The government is also trying to get the opposition involved in a council tasked with drawing up the reconstruction plan, which Prime Minister Naoto Kan has said he wants established by April 11.
Kan said, "We will go beyond the differences between the ruling and opposition parties in pushing forward with this council."
In line with that sentiment, government officials have been looking to recruit executives from the opposition parties, as well as experts and representatives from the affected regions, to the council. It will decide, among other things, how to rebuild devastated communities and resuscitate the farming and fishing industries in the affected areas.
The government has also been looking to overcome party divisions in the Diet. On Friday, DPJ Secretary-General Katsuya Okada met his LDP counterpart, Nobuteru Ishihara, and asked for the opposition party's cooperation in revising the Cabinet Law to allow an increase in the number of Cabinet posts.
Okada told Ishihara that the three posts would be a state minister in charge of rebuilding after the natural disasters; a minister to take over disaster management responsibilities currently held by the environment minister; and a minister to take responsibilities for Okinawa and the Northern Territories from the chief Cabinet secretary.
Okada's approach to Ishihara was seen as an implicit offer to give the LDP Cabinet positions.
A DPJ executive said: "We can move toward a grand coalition as long as there is no mistake in how the discussions are pushed forward."
In a speech Saturday in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, LDP Vice President Tadamori Oshima told his constituents: "We have an overwhelming sense of what is needed in local communities. We will hold serious discussions."
New Komeito executives have raised concern about being left behind if discussions between the DPJ and LDP proceed.
However, with unified local election campaigns now in full swing, full-fledged discussions on forming a coalition are not expected until late April at the earliest.
Meanwhile, the People's New Party, which has been a DPJ coalition partner since the inception of the government in September 2009, is raising concerns about a three-party coalition involving the DPJ, LDP and New Komeito.
PNP leader Shizuka Kamei met with Kan on Saturday night and said he should set up a national unity Cabinet to deal with the situation.
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