The secretaries general of the Liberal Democratic Party, the Liberal Party and New Komeito agreed Tuesday to discuss capping the number of times local government heads can be re-elected, during policy talks for a planned coalition government, party officials said.
However, a number of other agenda items, including the proposed reduction of Lower House seats, were still left unsettled during Tuesday's policy coordination talks between the three parties, the officials said.
The secretaries general and policy chiefs of the three parties will continue talks today in an attempt to launch the planned coalition government on Friday, they said.
Tetsuzo Fuyushiba, New Komeito secretary general, said that without some regulations, incumbent local government leaders could gain too much influence because a large power shift is expected to take place from the central government to prefectural governments and some major municipal offices as a part of the planned decentralization of the state administration.