One of Japan's most influential and divisive political figures in recent decades may be staging another comeback.
On Thursday, Liberal Party leader Ichiro Ozawa and Yuichiro Tamaki, head of the Democratic Party for the People, met at the Diet, where they agreed to form a joint parliamentary group for their opposition parties in the Diet.
Later in the day, DPP Secretary-General Hirofumi Hirano said at a news conference that the party will soon start policy coordination talks with Ozawa's party to "form a larger group." When asked by reporters, Hirano didn't rule out a merger.