Bills on employment measures drafted by the opposition camp were approved by a key House of Councilors committee Thursday.
The four bills, proposed jointly by the Democratic Party of Japan, the Social Democratic Party and Kokumin Shinto (People's New Party), include measures for curbing cancellations of job offers and emergency steps to prevent dispatched workers from being laid off.
The DPJ, the main opposition force, plans to ask the Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling bloc for talks on the bills Friday between DPJ President Ichiro Ozawa and Prime Minister Taro Aso, the LDP president, but the LDP is likely to say no, lawmakers said.
"Unemployment is a major social problem. We can't wait for the enactment of a fiscal 2008 supplementary budget to be deliberated in the regular Diet session (in January)," those at the meeting quoted Kenji Yamaoka of the DPJ as saying at a meeting of Diet affairs chiefs from both the ruling and opposition camps.
They then quoted LDP Diet affairs chief Tadamori Oshima as countering with: "There are many problems in the opposition parties' bills and (the ruling bloc) will have to oppose them."
Aso criticized the opposition but said he was flexible.
"They have brought up one-sided measures at the end of the Diet session without holding any deliberations," he said.
"But we'll be willing to adopt them if they're good."