(Update) INTERVIEW: DPFP's Tamaki Wants to Become PM, but Not Now

   Tokyo, Nov. 1 (Jiji Press)--Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the opposition Democratic Party for the People, said Friday that he wants to become Japan's prime minister, but "now is not the time."
   In an interview with Jiji Press, the DPFP leader ruled out the possibility of his party joining the ruling Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito coalition, which lost its majority in the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, in Sunday's election.
   With the ruling bloc now seeking to secure the cooperation of the DPFP, which quadrupled its Lower House share to 28 seats in the election, the two sides have agreed to begin policy talks.
   Tamaki said his party's proposals for reviewing the so-called 1.03-million-yen income tax threshold and lifting the suspension of the so-called trigger clause will be priority issues in the talks. He also said that such measures should be guaranteed by a tax system reform package to be drawn up later this year.
   During the election campaign, the DPFP called for raising the income threshold that separates income tax payers and nonpayers from the current 1.03 million yen to 1.78 million yen, and for lifting the trigger clause suspension to enable a temporary gasoline tax cut.

(2024/11/01-20:25)

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