Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura flatly denied Monday that the ruling Democratic Party of Japan would consider forming a grand coalition with the Liberal Democratic Party to pass the contentious bill for doubling the consumption tax to 10 percent by 2015.
At a morning news conference, Fujimura stressed that seeking cooperation from the LDP, the main opposition force, over the tax hike and forming a grand coalition were two completely different things.
"I think it is important to pass various (bills) after holding thorough discussions and gaining a consensus between the ruling and opposition camps, but forming a grand coalition is completely different," he said.