DPJ holds second-day talks with 2 allies over forming coalition

TOKYO, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) held the second-day talks Thursday with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the People's New Party (PNP) over forming a tripartite coalition.

The policy chiefs of the three parties failed to reach an agreement due to differences over foreign policy and security issues.

The DPJ maintains that the refueling mission continues until a temporary law backing it expires in January while the SDP takes a stricter stance, demanding the MSDF's immediate withdrawal from the Indian Ocean.

The three sides plan to hold a secretary-general-level meeting soon to discuss additional issues, including the SDP's proposal to create a policy coordination body among the coalition parties.

DPJ policy chief Masayuki Naoshima said earlier that he hopes the three parties will seal a deal by the end of this week.

On Wednesday, the DPJ launched talks with its two smaller allies and the three failed to agree on key issues such as those concerning foreign policy and national security in particular.