31.  After leaving his ministry post, Madelin was clearly unrepentant, suggesting Juppe will have a hard time keeping the ruling coalition together.

32.  After the market closed, the ruling coalition proposed looser regulations for stock sales in the first step toward an economic package.

33.  But even he heads a shaky ruling coalition that must be conservative to survive.

34.  But Hashimoto needed to appoint a leader of the Socialist Party, which is a member of the ruling coalition, to a senior cabinet post.

35.  But no one really knows how the new system will work, except that it will hurt the two minor parties in the ruling coalition.

36.  But it may not get enough votes to be part of a ruling coalition.

37.  But Schroeder understood late last week that to win a vote on such a fundamental issue without a majority in the ruling coalition would damage him badly.

38.  But the other parties in the ruling coalition oppose such a move, and such legislation could trigger the collapse of the government and early general elections.

39.  But the opposition forces remain weak and divided, and the present ruling coalition will retain a slim majority.

40.  But this is consensus-driven Japan, and it would be deemed a major embarrassment for the ruling coalition if the opposition seats in Parliament were vacant.