Takaichi's PM bid faces uncertainty amid unification call by Japan's opposition parties

Tokyo, Oct 14 Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of Democratic Party for the People, has called on other Japanese opposition forces to unite on key policies to pave the way for a change in government as uncertainty grows over whether ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) can remain in power, the Japanese media reported on Tuesday.

Tamaki said he plans to meet Yoshihiko Noda, chief of the largest opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) as it explores cooperation among opposition forces to choose the next Prime Minister in parliament, Japan's leading news agency Kyodo News reported.

Tamaki said during a press conference on Tuesday that achieving consensus on basic policies remains essential.

"Sanae Takaichi, who won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's October 4 presidential election, is facing uncertainty over her prospects for taking power after the LDP's junior partner Komeito announced Friday its departure from the minority ruling coalition with the LDP, ending a 26-year partnership," the Kyodo news report added.

According to the report, an extraordinary parliamentary session is expected to be held later this month to elect the successor to outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Takaichi's predecessor as LDP head. The LDP is the largest force in both the more powerful House of Representatives and the upper chamber.

"Before the Komeito ended the coalition, Takaichi was seen as set to become Japan's first female Prime Minister. She could lose the parliamentary vote without Komeito's cooperation, and moreover, if the CDPJ, the DPP and the Japan Innovation Party, the second-biggest opposition party in the lower house, field a joint candidate," the report stated.

Earlier this month, Takaichi, a prominent voice of the LDP's conservative wing advocating its causes for a long time, was elected as the leader of LDP after receiving 185 votes. She defeated Shinjiro Shinjiro, who garnered 156 votes in a runoff after none of the five candidates in the party leadership race secured a majority in the initial round of voting.

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