The newly elected president of the country's largest labor organization called on the Democratic Party of Japan to strengthen ties that have been strained since the main opposition party was routed in the Sept. 11 general election.</PARAGRAPH> <PHOTO> <TABLE WIDTH='200' ALIGN='RIGHT' BORDER='0'> <TR> <TD><IMG ALT='News photo' BORDER='0' SRC='/images/photos2005/nn20051111f1a.jpg' WIDTH='200' HEIGHT='231'/></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><FONT SIZE='1'><B>Tsuyoshi Takagi </B></FONT></TD> </TR> <TABLE> </PHOTO> <PARAGRAPH>'We must have as many opportunities as possible to communicate our thoughts clearly with DPJ lawmakers, and talk things out with each other first,' Tsuyoshi Takagi, president of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation –

, said in an interview Wednesday with The Japan Times.

"As long as (such discussions) are held, I'm not at all worried about our relationship with the DPJ," he said.

Takagi's remarks came on the heels of recent comments by DPJ leader Seiji Maehara, who advocates freeing the party from its dependence on the 6.6 million-strong labor group.

Maehara's desire to distance the party from labor unions is seen as a bid to broaden its support base by enhancing cooperation with local-level assembly members and lawmakers' support groups.