Three opposition parties present united front for Japan election

TOKYO, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic Party of Japan, the People's New Party and the Social Democratic Party have decided on a united policy platform ahead of an election on Aug. 30, according to media reports on Friday.

The three parties have agreed to make the economy the main focus of their campaign, vowing to improve the livelihoods and increase the disposable income for voters.

The parties will also promise not to raise consumption tax from its current 5 percent level for at least another four years and will aim to put in place legislation to protect temporary workers, many of whom have lost their jobs during the current recession.

More benefits will also be promised to young families, and extra protections will be provided to single mothers under the joint platform. The parties also promise to look into ways of revitalizing provincial areas, many of which have suffered severe economic decline since the end of Japan's bubble-era in the early 1990s.

The Aug. 30 election is expected to bring the DPJ to power, as voters express their discontent for the Liberal Democratic Party, which has been in power for all but a brief period since it was formed in 1955.