The leader of Japan's Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), the main opposition party, and Komeito have announced a merger to form a new political party with a "centrist" approach. Their goal is to build a strong coalition to counter the far-right government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is expected to dissolve the parliament next week and call a new election on 8 February.
The Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), Japan's main opposition party, and Komeito have reached an agreement to jointly establish a new political party. The leaders of both parties revealed today (15 Jan) that this move aims to create a strong alliance to contest the current government, which they view as excessively right-leaning in its policies.
This development comes just one day after Japan's first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, signaled plans to dissolve the parliament next week to hold a snap election expected on 8 February. She aims to capitalize on her soaring approval rating of 62% to solidify her government's position.
Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the CDP, stated, "Since the Takaichi government took office, policies have tended to veer sharply to the right. This is an important opportunity to place a centrist political group at the heart of the country."
Komeito decided to end its 26-year alliance with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) last October due to dissatisfaction over how the LDP handled a political funding scandal. As a result, the LDP allied with the right-wing Japan Innovation Party (Ishin) to form a coalition government that enabled Takaichi to rise to power.
This alliance formation challenges the power base in the 465-seat House of Representatives. Currently, the LDP and Ishin together hold 233 seats, while the CDP and Komeito hold a combined total of 172 seats.
Tetsuo Saito, leader of Komeito, revealed that the new party, which has yet to be named, will initially have him and Noda as co-leaders. They plan to welcome members of parliament from other parties to join. They also aim for members of the House of Councillors to join before the next upper house election in 2028, to counterbalance the government's minority voice in the upper chamber.
Analysts suggest that although Prime Minister Takaichi enjoys high personal popularity, the unification of centrist parties could be a crucial factor making it harder for the LDP government to pass key legislation in the future unless it secures a decisive election victory.
. Reuters