One day after winning re-election in a sweeping victory as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi said he is confident that his plan to form a new tripartite coalition with the Liberal Party and New Komeito has been endorsed by his party colleagues.
"I won the confidence of a majority of Diet members and nearly 70 percent of LDP (rank-and-file) members," Obuchi told a news conference at party headquarters. "I believe that it means I gained understanding about this policy (of forming the coalition)."
His two contenders in Tuesday's election, former LDP Secretary General Koichi Kato and former LDP policy chief Taku Yamasaki, slammed the unpopular coalition plan, a contentious issue during the race.