Ozawa

During their 90-minute meeting at the DPJ's headquarters on Wednesday, Noda, head of the ruling party, asked for cooperation from Ozawa, whose group has more than 100 lawmakers, to secure Diet passage of the bills.

Noda has expressed his readiness to hold talks with Ozawa to persuade him to agree to the government's plan to raise the consumption tax rate.

DPJ Secretary General Azuma Koshiishi, an ally of Ozawa, has been eager to settle the issue before the deadline as an appeal could bolster opposition to lifting the suspension.

A group of three lawyers serving as prosecutors for the case said Wednesday they have decided to appeal the Tokyo District Court's verdict clearing Ozawa of all charges.

Presiding Judge Fumio Daizen of the Tokyo District Court said in a ruling that while Ozawa's former aides falsified funds reports for his political funds management body Rikuzankai, the 69-year-old veteran lawmaker did not have a hand in the act, denying he conspired with them.

The acquittal by the Tokyo District Court is ''not surprising,'' Koshiishi, who is close to Ozawa, told reporters, adding he will ''take a procedure within the party'' to lift the suspension after the nation's Golden Week holiday that will end in early May.

If Ozawa is found not guilty, calls are likely to mount for taking another look at a three-year-old prosecutorial system that has for the first time given citizens the authority to decide whether a person should face charges even when prosecutors decide not to indict.

Nobuteru Ishihara, secretary general of the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party, said in a news conference that he will push for Ozawa's explanation in the Diet.

Former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, seen as a leading contender in the Democratic Party of Japan's presidential election next week, met Wednesday with Ichiro Ozawa, a power broker in the ruling party, in the hope of securing his backing.

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku, who is close to Maehara, held talks with Ozawa on Monday night and called for the former DPJ leader's cooperation in improving unity among its lawmakers, the sources said.

Ozawa, former president of the Democratic Party of Japan, is expected to urge Kan to exercise his leadership in addressing the aftermath of the magnitude-9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami that struck northeastern and eastern Japan, crippling the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant which has been leaking radioactive substances, the allies said.

Despite Ozawa's steadfast objection, the ruling party's Standing Officers Council endorsed the suspension, which will last until the conclusion of his trial.

News publishers, editors, journalists and content creators (whether they receive a paycheck for their work or not) now have a new platform to discuss news and news business, thanks to Ryan Ozawa. This long-time online community lover founded Masthead, a social network for media makers.

After actress and former adult-entertainment star Maria Ozawa complained on her social media page that a driver gave away her number to the public, the TNV company has reached out to her and apologized for the mishap she encountered.

Political power broker Ichiro Ozawa officially launched a small opposition party, called the People's Life Party, on Friday.