Japan’s Largest Opposition Doesn’t Rule Out LDP Cooperation

Japan’s largest opposition party will push for taxable ¥20,000 ($135) cash handouts to be included in the upcoming extra budget, the party leader said, framing it as a key test of whether deeper cooperation with the ruling coalition is possible.

“Including the cash handout in the extra budget should be the top priority,” Constitutional Democratic Party leader Yoshihiko Noda told Bloomberg in an interview on Friday. “Only then can we see if real cooperation with the ruling bloc is possible — but at this point, I don’t see much of a chance,” he added. He also ruled out the possibility of joining the coalition.