Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka on Monday criticized accusations lodged Sunday by Liberal Party leader Ichiro Ozawa that the Liberal Democratic Party is not negotiating seriously enough in ongoing policy talks aimed at forming a coalition.
"Mr. Ozawa may be a little bit too wrapped up in his policies than when he initially proposed them" to Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi in their Nov. 19 talks — when the two leaders agreed to form a coalition — the top government spokesman told a news conference.
Nonaka, a senior LDP member, said that the two parties' policy brokers have continued to discuss reducing the number of Cabinet ministers to 18 from the current 20, as well as the submission of bills to the next ordinary Diet session that aim to abolish the current system of bureaucrats — as opposed to state ministers — responding to lawmakers' questions during Diet deliberations.