Interviews with four political parties sets the scene for Japan’s post-election haggling

Political deadlock threatens after Japans ruling Democratic Party (DPJ) and a tiny ally lost their majority in an upper house poll, jeopardising policies to rein in the countrys massive debt and putting Prime Minister Naoto Kan, already the nations fifth premier in three years, at risk of losing his job. With no clear way forward in coalition building Tokyo reporters won access to key politicians in four parties that will determine if the DPJ can fashion compromise policies sufficient to secure a working majority. They spoke to the leader of the new pro-market-reform Your Party, whose strides at the polls put it at the centre of political manoeuvres, the No.2 leader of the third biggest party, the Buddhist-backed New Komeito, a DPJ ally of powerbroker Ichiro Ozawa (who many expect to mount a challenge to Kan) and two key executives of the biggest opposition party, the Liberal Democrats. Opposition leaders are talking tough but leaving room for policy-based negotiations, while Ozawas camp is quietly assessing its chances and calling for a shift in emphasis away from sales tax talk to waste-cutting. The interview series, carried out within days of the election results, demonstrated Reuters commitment to setting the agenda with initiative reporting building on the momentum of our deep election coverage and focused on the policy implications essential for core clients.