Or so he explained yesterday when announcing his decision to continue as leader of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), retracting his resignation on Sunday.

Firstly, though the DPJ had won the Upper House election in July, Mr Ozawa (right) said he was still convinced the momentum was not enough to help it win the next general election.

Secondly, even though the DPJ could now pass Bills in the Upper House, which it controls, those Bills would still be rejected in the Lower House, which is dominated by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

Hence the appeal of a grand coalition.

'Policy consultations may be one way to solve both these problems. It will enable the DPJ to realise its policies and also show the people that the party is capable of government,' said Mr Ozawa.

The grand coalition idea was broached during Mr Ozawa's talks with Premier Yasuo Fukuda last week.

Mr Ozawa must have thought that policy consultations with the LDP could proceed without losing sight of the party's goal of winning the next general election.

He did not make it clear yesterday whether the grand coalition plan would have been only policy based and not involve the allocation of Cabinet positions to his party, as one newspaper had alleged.

Prime Minister Fukuda, too, has not clarified what the idea entailed.

With the opposition now in control of the Upper House, the Fukuda administration is also unable to pass any Bills.

But when Mr Ozawa brought the coalition idea back to the DPJ executive committee for discussion last Friday, it was unanimously rejected.

Yesterday, Mr Ozawa said he blamed himself for not explaining his thinking more fully to the party, resulting in widespread speculation, misunderstanding and confusion.

So much so that he thought it was better for him to resign, which he did on Sunday.

Analysts said the party's rejection of the coalition proposal no doubt severely dented Mr Ozawa's pride, as he was used to an autocratic, top-down style of management.

But his closest aides succeeded in persuading him that the party badly wanted him to stay on as leader.

In fact, the DPJ cannot do without Mr Ozawa at this point. It is well aware that its leader has come to be regarded by voters as the symbol of the party's bid to overthrow the long-ruling LDP government in the next general election.

There were reportedly also fears that if Mr Ozawa were to step down, there would be an exodus of DPJ lawmakers close to him.

But Mr Ozawa made it clear yesterday that the grand coalition idea was not his to begin with.

He revealed that two months ago, an important figure had asked to meet him and had spoken at length about the need to have a grand coalition for the 'sake of the country'.

Although he refused to divulge the person's identity, reports say that Mr Tsuneo Watanabe, chairman and editor-in-chief of the largest-circulating Yomiuri Shimbun daily, was instrumental in bringing together Mr Ozawa and Mr Fukuda last week.

Mr Ozawa said a proxy of Mr Fukuda then approached him a month ago, saying that the Prime Minister was interested in the coalition idea and wanted direct talks.

'I could not very well decline a request by the Prime Minister of Japan for a meeting,' said Mr Ozawa.

And yesterday, in a forceful speech that was at times emotionally charged, Mr Ozawa vowed once more to lead the DPJ to victory in the next general election.

Asked if he was still keen on the coalition idea, Mr Ozawa declared that he would focus on winning the election and did not have any coalition in mind.

He also reiterated his party's opposition to the government's Bill to extend a naval refuelling mission in the Indian Ocean in aid of the US- led war on terrorism.

wengkin@sph.com.sg

EDITORIAL, REVIEW