Hatoyama, Aso meet up before handover

Two days ahead of the launch of his Cabinet, Yukio Hatoyama met with departing Prime Minister Taro Aso to seek his cooperation to ensure a smooth handover of power, while Aso offered encouragement to the prime minister in waiting.

Hatoyama and Aso met in the Diet, along with Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura and his successor, Hirofumi Hirano, ahead of Wednesday's launch of the new administration.

"I would like you to give me guidance and advice as a former prime minister," Hatoyama was quoted by Hirano as asking Aso during the 20-minute meeting.

Hatoyama also asked Aso for advice on diplomacy ahead of his scheduled trip to attend the U.N. General Assembly in New York and the Group of 20 summit in Pittsburgh.

Aso responded, "I hope you will work hard and will not take the wrong direction" in foreign policy, international finance and national security, according to Hirano.

Hatoyama asked about the North Korean nuclear and abduction issues. Aso said the Pyongyang Declaration issued by the two countries in 2002 "is still alive and that the incoming government should stick to it."

They did not go into further details about foreign and national security issues, according to Hirano.

The Democratic Party of Japan won 308 seats in the 480-seat Lower House in the Aug. 30 election, ousting the Liberal Democratic Party from power for only the second time in the LDP's 54-year history.

Hatoyama was scheduled to hold talks with DPJ deputy leader Ichiro Ozawa later Monday concerning Cabinet appointments.