The heads of the three ruling parties agreed Monday to keep National Public Safety Commission Chairman Kosuke Hori in office despite opposition demands that he resign over his responsibility for a Niigata Prefectural Police scandal.

The coalition leaders -- Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, who is president of the Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito President Takenori Kanzaki and Liberal Party leader Ichiro Ozawa -- met at a Tokyo hotel Monday night for an unusual dinner meeting.

"(The three shared the view that) Hori should maintain his current posts and come up with reform measures (for the commission)," said Chikage Ogi, an Upper House Liberal Party member who was also present at the dinner.

Hori, who is also home affairs minister, has been under fire for weeks after the NPSC failed to severely punish two high-level police officials who opted to continue a mah-jongg game at a hot springs inn rather than take charge of an unfolding nine-year-old kidnapping case in Niigata Prefecture.

Ozawa supported keeping Hori in both of his posts when he mentioned that he, too, had concurrently held the two posts while an LDP member, according to Ogi.

Because of the rarity of such top-level gatherings, many in political circles speculated that the trio would discuss issues such as Diet proceedings after the fiscal 2000 budget clears the Diet later in the week.

Ogi maintained that the top-level dinner meeting was arranged in an effort to create an atmosphere that would encourage a smoother exchange of opinions among Obuchi, Kanzaki and Ozawa.

"I hope the three (leaders) will continue having this kind of opportunity so that meetings like this will no longer be treated as news," Ogi told reporters who flocked to the hotel.