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Obuchi urges opposition to end house boycott

TOKYO: Japan's Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi has urged opposition parties to halt a boycott of parliament that has raised the chances of an early general election.

"I regret that I had to deliver a key policy speech without the participation of opposition party members. If they have something to complain of, I want them to (return) to make their objections," state media quoted Obuchi as saying on Sunday.

The opposition boycott of parliament forced Obuchi to present a keynote policy speech to empty opposition benches last Friday. It was the first time a prime minister had given the address marking the start of debate in the new parliamentary session during a boycott.

Obuchi's appeal came as ruling coalition and opposition parties hardened their positions over the weekend in a stalemate stemming from the coalition's decision to pass an electoral reform bill against the opposition's wishes.

The opposition parties said on Sunday they would not return unless the government apologised for passing the bill, but senior coalition figures refused.

Speaking on an NHK television talk show, opposition leader Yukio Hatoyama demanded an apology, as well as talks with the ruling bloc on holding a general election.

"It is possible for parliamentary affairs to return to normal if the ruling parties apologise, and on top of that, we should hold talks about dissolving parliament," Hatoyama said.

Leaders of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) said they were unconcerned by the rows of vacant seats in parliament and had no intention of apologising.

LDP Secretary-General Yoshiro Mori said there was no need for the party to be contrite and the timing of a general election depended on several factors, including economic recovery and the need for Japan to focus on its role as the host of the Group of Eight (G8) summit in July.

"It is up to Prime Minister Obuchi to decided on dissolving the Lower House," Mori told another Sunday talk show. Japan must hold general elections by October.

REFORM BILL CAUSES UPROAR

The bill that led to the boycott is part of efforts to streamline parliament and was forced through the Lower House last week in the absence of the opposition after failed attempts by the ruling and opposition camps to reach a compromise.

The bill cuts 20 of the chamber's 200 proportional representation seats, a move opposition parties say favours large parties. The other 300 members are from single-seat districts.

In a rare show of unity, the biggest opposition Democratic Party joined hands with the Communists and the Social Democrats to boycott all future parliamentary debate.

The boycott could prove an obstacle to Obuchi's attempts to pass his huge budget, with lawmakers reluctant to pass the bill in the absence of the opposition because the lack of debate could bring charges that the process had not been fully democratic.

That would raise the spectre of an early general election.

Political analysts say the potential for parliamentary paralysis is high, ushering in a period of turmoil that could well force Obuchi to dissolve parliament amid perceptions he was unable to win passage of bills through the house.

The opposition wants to take the seat reform measure to the people and force the LDP to call a snap election.

Obuchi's three-party alliance has some 70 percent of the seats in both the Lower House and the less powerful upper chamber.

Former prime minister and opposition elder Tsutomu Hata said on Saturday that he believed an election could now be held as early as April 2.-Reuters