Japan.(creation of a coalition government between the Liberal Democrats and New Komeito parties)(Brief Article)

From: The Economist (US) | Date: July 3, 1999 | Copyright information

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TOKYO

HE HAS been called the most powerful man in Japanese politics, yet he is not even a politician. Daisaku Ikeda is the spiritual leader of the Soka Gakkai, a lay Buddhist group that can muster nearly 7m votes-- a tenth of Japan's voting population (and a fifth of those who turn out in most elections). The Soka Gakkai's political arm, the New Komeito, is the second-largest opposition party in the Diet (parliament) and is notably influential in the upper house. That is a measure of Mr Ikeda's power.

Now he is about to have more. On June ...

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