DPJ executives approve Ozawa's appointment as secretary general

TOKYO, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Executives of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) on Monday endorsed President Yukio Hatoyama's appointment of former party leader Ichiro Ozawa as DPJ secretary general.

After the meeting of DPJ executives, Hatoyama said, "I told (the executives) I want (Ozawa) to do party business well because there's a need to ensure a strong DPJ in future elections, and the House of Councilors election will be next year."

"And they naturally endorsed my decision," said the party chief.

Hatoyama also expressed his intention to ask the leaders of the DPJ's two allies, namely the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the People's New Party (PNP), to join the planned tripartite coalition government.

He said it is his hope that the DPJ's ongoing policy consultations with the SDP and the PNP will be concluded at the secretary-general-level talks soon, possibly Tuesday.

Hatoyama is set to be voted in as the next prime minister on Sept. 16, as the government and ruling parties decided to convene a special four-day Diet session through that day.

In the Aug. 30 general election, the DPJ snatched 308 of 480 seats in the more powerful lower house, ending more than 50 years of almost unbroken rule by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).