Regarding the April 6 Kyodo article "Komeito wary of grand coalition": Is forming a so-called "grand coalition" with opposition parties a way to further develop democracy in Japan? Clearly it would be the opposite.
I would argue that now, more than ever, political parties need to articulate competing visions of the future. With all the problems that Japan faces, politicians should feel pressure to explain what it is they believe and how they plan to empower the next generation.
Japanese young people deserve a marketplace of ideas. I fear that a government coalition would just be a way for these old men to make life easier for themselves. Perhaps it's also a way to get cover for handing off even more responsibility for decision-making to bureaucrats. Now is not the time to weaken democracy in Japan.