New ruling party agrees to coalition

2009-09-10 18:55 BJT

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The Democratic Party of Japan, which overwhelmingly won last month's general election, has agreed to form a coalition government with two smaller parties.

On Wednesday, the DPJ promised the two parties that it will re-examine a 2006 bilateral agreement on the disposition of US forces in Japan, and review the Status of Forces Agreement.

Mizuho Fukushima, Social Democratic Party, said, "The Democratic Party manifesto stipulates that the status of US bases in Japan will be reviewed. Our Party disagrees on the building of new bases, and we will, therefore, continue to question the agreement regarding the security alliance within the coalition."

The DPJ needs help from the two parties to ensure it can pass legislation smoothly in the upper house.

The DPJ's head, Yukio Hatoyama, has reassured Washington and voters that the alliance will remain the cornerstone of Tokyo's foreign policy. However, he said he wants the alliance to proceed on a more equal footing.

Editor: Zhang Pengfei | Source: CCTV.com