The Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling coalition should create consultation bodies with the opposition camp, which now has a majority in the House of Councilors, to seek its opinion on important bills before any final decisions are reached, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said.
The suggestion highlights the clear change in the Diet's balance of power after the Democratic Party of Japan won a landslide in the Upper House election in July, as a result of which the opposition can now block any bills by the ruling bloc in the upper chamber.
In the past, the ruling coalition submitted bills with little heed for the opposition.