Japanese parties leave coalition

Tokyo - Japan's ruling parties will end their four-year coalition when their leaders meet in parliament today, a junior coalition…

Tokyo - Japan's ruling parties will end their four-year coalition when their leaders meet in parliament today, a junior coalition member said yesterday. The Social Democratic Party (SDP) announced its intention to quit the ruling camp on Saturday, and the junior New Party Sakigake said it would pull out in response.

The SDP said it was leaving the ruling camp, blaming the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) for its unwillingness to enact anti-corruption measures. The break-up will leave the LDP without a majority in the upper House of Councillors. But the LDP has a majority of 261 seats in the 500-seat lower house through defections from the opposition.