After Prime Minister Naoto Kan survived a no-confidence motion on June 2, Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Katsuya Okada started calling for the formation of a grand coalition between the DPJ and the Liberal Democratic Party.
It is irresponsible of Mr. Okada to make such a call. It appears that he has forgotten the simple fact that the DPJ came to power by beating the LDP in the August 2009 Lower House election with slogans that represented a rejection of LDP politics.
Mr. Okada's call for a grand coalition is tantamount to throwing down the drain the DPJ's basic policy ideas enscapsulated in "People's lives come first" and "From concrete to humans" — slogans that showed many voters a ray of hope.