Ruling Bloc, DPFP Begin Talks on Economic Package

   Tokyo, Nov. 12 (Jiji Press)--Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito coalition, which lost its majority in the House of Representatives in last month's general election, and the opposition Democratic Party for the People held the first meeting of their policy chiefs on Tuesday to discuss the government's upcoming economic policy package.
   The ruling bloc explained a government draft of the economic package, and the DPFP demanded that the economic package include measures to support wage increases and expand consumption and investment, as well as reflect its proposal to raise the annual income threshold of 1.03 million yen that separates income tax payers and nonpayers.
   The ruling parties and the DPFP will hold talks again later this week.
   Tuesday's meeting was attended by Itsunori Onodera of the LDP, Mitsunari Okamoto of Komeito and Makoto Hamaguchi of the DPFP. "We will continue efforts to find a common direction," Onodera told reporters the same day.
   On Thursday, the DPFP policy chief will meet separately with his LDP and Komeito counterparts. The LDP-DPFP and Komeito-DPFP policy talks were both launched on Friday.

(2024/11/12-21:15)

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