The Liberal Democratic Party and its ally, New Komeito, on Tuesday formally agreed on key policy issues to pursue when they return to power Wednesday, including prioritizing the reconstruction of the disaster-hit Tohoku region and fighting deflation and recession.
But the agreement signed by LDP President Shinzo Abe and New Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi sidestepped points of dispute, such as revising the Constitution and energy policy, particularly pertaining to nuclear power and whether the nation would continue to rely on it.
As for the constitutional revision, the two parties, which will form a coalition government Wednesday, agreed to allow the Diet's bicameral Commission on the Constitution to consider whether to amend the charter, particularly the war-renouncing Article 9. The panel was formed in 2007, during Abe's first stint as prime minister.
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