The ruling parties and the government are still butting heads on how to rewrite the nation's energy policy as renewable energy continues to be a major sticking point.
"We were expecting the government to present the final draft so we could endorse it and set the stage for the Cabinet approval . . . but we weren't able to do that," a key member of the ruling conservative Liberal Democratic Party told reporters after a meeting Friday with its junior coalition ally, New Komeito.
Discussions on the so-called Basic Energy Plan are taking place based on a draft presented by the government in February. The document does not refer to any numerical targets for renewable energy, raising concerns in New Komeito that the government may not be taking the issue seriously enough despite the Fukushima disaster.