Japan Opposition Parties Unite in Seeking Takeshita’s Ouster

The leaders of Japan’s four major opposition parties today formed a united front to try to drive scandal-plagued Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita from office, which analysts now say is an increasingly likely possibility.

The public broadcasting network NHK reported that the leaders of the Socialist Party, the Clean Government Party, the Democratic Socialist Party and the Social Democratic Federation will jointly press for Takeshita’s ouster and a general election.

The four leaders met for the first time in more than two years as a result of a perception that now is the most dynamic period in Japanese politics since World War II.

Political analysts said, after a week of damaging revelations, that it looked increasingly likely that Takeshita would have to resign.

Major Japanese newspapers today reported that the prime minister had received an additional $190,000 from the Recruit Co., the enterprise at the heart of the scandal.

Earlier in the week an aide admitted that Takeshita’s political support group had received $275,000 in May, 1987, from the publishing and telecommunications group accused of trying to buy business and political favors. This was in addition to the $155,000 Takeshita had already admitted receiving.