The Democratic Party of Japan may reach out to other parties if it fails to gain a majority in next month's Upper House election, the new DPJ secretary general hinted Thursday.

Yukio Edano, 46, took over the No. 2 post Monday from DPJ kingpin Ichiro Ozawa, who resigned along with former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama last week to help the party survive their money scandals and the Cabinet's dwindling support rate.

The resignation of the most powerful and scandal-tainted figures in the party provided an instant boost, giving the DPJ, under new Prime Minister Naoto Kan, a real chance at succeeding in the election.