Under the leadership of Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka, the government and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party are pursuing a political strategy for 1999 with these objectives:

Eliminating the image of an "incompetent prime minister" and boosting the popularity of the Obuchi administration with the surprise formation of an alliance between the LDP and the Liberal Party.

Baiting the opposition party New Komeito to share power, by establishing a coalition with the LP. A tripartite alliance, including New Komeito, would give the LDP a badly needed majority in the Upper House.