TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on a radio program aired Wednesday that he believes creating a grand coalition with some of the opposition parties is a viable "option," with his coalition partner also saying it is a possibility.

Ishiba, who heads the Liberal Democratic Party, suffered a setback in Japan's general election in October, when the ruling coalition lost its majority in the House of Representatives.

"That would be an option," Ishiba said in the program recorded on Dec. 24.

But he also said, "We must be careful that if we don't have a purpose, a single misstep could result in creating something like the Imperial Rule Assistance Association," referring to an organization that aimed at removing sectionalism and factionalism from politics during World War II.

Ishiba then mentioned his relationship with two opposition leaders -- Yoshihiko Noda, head of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, and Seiji Maehara, who serves as co-leader of the Japan Innovation Party.

"We aim for centrist politics and have something in common. We are longtime friends. I can trust them and have never been betrayed by them," Ishiba said.

The head of the LDP's junior coalition partner separately referred to a possible grand coalition.

"I would like to play a central role in building consensus within the ruling coalition, and I hope it will ultimately lead to a grand coalition," Tetsuo Saito, who leads the Komeito party, said in a different radio program aired Wednesday.

Ishiba's most recent comment, however, is in marked contrast to something he said on a television program aired Sunday.

At that time, the prime minister said he would "not operate (the government) with a coalition (with opposition parties) in mind," underscoring that he would seek support from other parties, depending on issues.