A former Cabinet minister demanded Thursday that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi reach a compromise with the Liberal Democratic Party over his plan to privatize the nation's postal services.

Toranosuke Katayama, a former posts and telecommunications minister and the current secretary general of the LDP's Upper House caucus, made the demand during the day's plenary session of the House of Councilors.

It is rare in the party-oriented Diet system for a member of the ruling party to criticize the government in this fashion during a plenary session.