The opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan will push for taxable ¥20,000 ($135) cash handouts to be included in the upcoming extra budget, the party leader said, framing it as a key test of whether deeper cooperation with the ruling coalition is possible.
"Including the cash handout in the extra budget should be the top priority,” Constitutional Democratic Party leader Yoshihiko Noda said in an interview on Friday. "Only then can we see if real cooperation with the ruling bloc is possible — but at this point, I don’t see much of a chance,” he added. He also ruled out the possibility of joining the coalition.
Noda’s comments come as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party prepares to elect a new leader on Saturday. Whoever wins is expected to become Japan’s next prime minister, but they will have to seek support from opposition parties to pass key legislation after the LDP lost its majority in both houses of parliament. The CDP holds the most number of seats among opposition parties, but has struggled to get other parties to coalesce around it.
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