TOKYO, Nov. 22 KYODONov.22 22:24
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda called on Thursday for the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan to cooperate in passing a bill to resume Japan's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean and proposed holding policy talks over security and pension issues, but DPJ President Ichiro Ozawa turned it down.
In talks held as leaders of their respective parties, Fukuda, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party president, also said he wants the opposition-controlled House of Councillors to hold a vote on the bill by the end of the current Diet session through Dec. 15, but Ozawa said not enough time remains for the deliberations.
Given the outcome of the talks, passage of the bill by Dec. 15 appears increasingly difficult. The bill is aimed at enabling Japan to resume its refueling mission in support of U.S.-led antiterrorism operations in and around Afghanistan.
The bill was passed by the ruling bloc-dominated House of Representatives on Nov. 13 and sent to the upper house, with deliberations to start from Wednesday.
The ruling bloc is eyeing further extending the current session in a bid to pass the bill through a second vote in the lower house which can override the upper house's decision.
But holding the second vote could lead the opposition parties to submit a censure motion against Fukuda in the upper house to pressure him to dissolve the lower house for a general election.
The session has already been extended for 35 days and the ruling bloc will consider how further they should extend by monitoring the development of the deliberations, ruling bloc lawmakers said.
Fukuda was quoted as saying at an unofficial gathering of ministers on Thursday after the Cabinet meeting that he "would like to continue" holding talks with Ozawa to seek cooperation over the bill.
On the possibility of extending the current session, Fukuda told reporters, "I want to have efficient deliberations. Still there is plenty of time."
Fukuda made the remarks after separately holding talks with respective party leaders, including Ozawa. Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura as well as secretaries general and Diet affairs chiefs from each party also attended.
In the talks with Ozawa, Fukuda proposed creating a consultation body consisting of lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties on security issues with an eye on enabling the government to send the Self-Defense Forces troops on overseas missions at any time.
Fukuda also proposed setting up a "national assembly" consisting of lawmakers as well as representatives from various fields to deal with pension and social security issues.
Ozawa told the premier at the meeting he is still against the resumption of the refueling mission, according to him.
"I told (the prime minister) that I cannot compromise, no matter how much the prime minister asks me," Ozawa said.
Ozawa also said the bill cannot gain public understanding without getting to the bottom of recently revealed scandals involving the Defense Ministry and its former top bureaucrat.
Ozawa also refused Fukuda's proposals over security and pension issues.
"I said we cannot accept an offer of creating a consultative body with certain parties...our policy is to make efforts to reach a conclusion by discussing with parties at the Diet," Ozawa said.
After meeting with Ozawa, Fukuda met with leaders of three other minor opposition parties. Leaders of the Japanese Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party expressed their opposition to the refueling bill, while the leader of the People's New Party called for greater efforts to manage the divided Diet more smoothly.
Fukuda is struggling to seek a breakthrough in the current political gridlock as the opposition parties control the upper house. His proposals to the opposition parties were coordinated with Akihiro Ota, leader of the LDP's coalition partner New Komeito party.
Fukuda also reported to the party leaders about his recent meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush and his attendance at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit meeting in Singapore.
==Kyodo
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