New Komeito head Takenori Kanzaki met Liberal Party leader Ichiro Ozawa on Thursday to seek understanding now that his party is moving toward joining the coalition.

The Liberal Party is currently the junior partner in the Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition.

During the meeting at Liberal Party headquarters, Ozawa reportedly said he does not oppose New Komeito coming into the fold but that his party and the LDP must first discuss agreements they made upon the formation of the current alliance in January.

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, who is also LDP president, asked Kanzaki earlier this month to join the coalition.

Kanzaki is expected to formally accept Obuchi's offer, which includes Cabinet seats for New Komeito, during a meeting Monday.

The meeting will follow New Komeito's convention on Saturday when the party's leadership is expected to gain approval from its rank-and-file members for its platform.

The party's basic policy states that becoming a part of the coalition government is one option for New Komeito.

Earlier in the day, Ozawa urged LDP executives to find a solution to planned cooperation between their parties during the next Lower House election by Aug. 13, the end of the current Diet session, the LDP side said.

During talks with Tamisuke Watanuki, chairman of the LDP's largest faction, and Mikio Aoki, head of the LDP's Upper House lawmakers, Ozawa reportedly expressed discontent over the widely reported addition of New Komeito to the alliance, saying that the current LDP-Liberal arrangement is being neglected.

"I don't mind the fact that the leaders of the LDP and New Komeito will meet on Monday, but we need to hammer out a clear direction for the key LDP-Liberal Party agreement," Watanuki quoted Ozawa as saying.

Watanuki told reporters that Ozawa was referring to the planned election cooperation.

Despite efforts by both parties to work out details of the planned cooperation, talks have not progressed, according to political sources.