Kihara Says No Need to Revise LDP-JIP Accord

Tokyo, Sept. 10 (Jiji Press)--Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its partner, the Japan Innovation Party, have no need to revise their coalition agreement reached in October last year, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Thursday.

Noting that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's term as LDP president was two years when the agreement was signed, Kihara said, "We set out in the agreement what needed to be done over the two years."

"There is still time left in that period, so there is no need to revise it," Kihara, a senior LDP member, said in a speech at a meeting of the Research Institute of Japan, a Jiji Press affiliate, in Tokyo.

The LDP-JIP agreement was reached when Takaichi took office as prime minister. The JIP has called for the agreement to be updated as some measures have already been implemented, including easing restrictions on Japan's exports of defense equipment and technology, and establishing a legal framework for a secondary capital.

Kihara expressed confidence that parliament would pass bills to cut the consumption tax on food during an extraordinary session expected to be convened as soon as early October.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]