LEADERS of the seven political parties comprising the new coalition Government of Japan met in Tokyo yesterday to begin the process of reaching a consensus on the key issue of political reform.
While there is little disagreement on measures to end Japan's ''money-politics'', two broad views on change in the electoral system have yet to be reconciled.
One reform measure aimed at money-politics will be a bill to provide for state funding of political parties both in their general activities and in their election campaigns. While this scheme is phased in, another bill will stipulate the abolition of political donations from businesses and trade unions over five years.
These measures strike at the way politics developed under the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), during the past 17 years particularly. Popular anger with the regular scandals to hit the headlines in the past few years led to the LDP's loss of power.
But internal coalition disagreement emerges when the issue is the reform of the electoral system.
One formula is favoured by the Nihon Shinto (Japan New Party) led by Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa, the Sakigake (New Forerunner) Party and by the largest party in the coalition, the Socialists.
Under this scheme, the present 511-seat House of Representatives elected in 129 multi-member constituencies would be replaced by a house in which 250 members would be elected in single-seat constituencies, while 250 would be selected by proportional representation (PR).