In a rare opportunity Monday for the leaders of the seven major political parties to debate policy, Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori went on the attack over the Liberal Democratic Party's ability to carry the June 25 Lower House election.
During a three-hour debate session at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo, Mori countered opposition criticism over the ruling bloc's falling approval ratings, saying that Japanese still lack "mature comprehension" about the coalition government.
"What's most important is the stability of the government (brought about by forming the coalition)," Mori told the session, in reply to DPJ President Yukio Hatoyama, who broached the LDP-led coalition's unpopularity.