According to Japan‘s Yomiuri News on the 15th, the head of Japan‘s largest opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party, Yoshihiko Noda, and the head of the Koming Party, Tetsuo Saito, held a meeting in parliament on the same day and reached an agreement to jointly form a new party aimed at joining forces against the ruling party camp led by Prime Minister Sanae Takashi in the upcoming House of Representatives elections. The report said that the name of the new party might be “Midway Reform,” aimed at gathering middle forces in Japanese politics.
According to the NHK website, Yoshihiko Noda said on the 15th, “We must take this opportunity to put centrist forces at the center of politics, enabling them to take root in national life, and implement realistic policies to improve living standards.” Tetsuo Saito said, “Given the increasing divisions and conflicts around the world, and the right-wing bias in Japanese politics, it is crucial to unite centrist forces.”
Japan‘s Kyodo Press commented on 15 that this new party plan calls for the participation of other political parties, including the National Democratic Party. After the Koming Party withdrew from the ruling coalition in October last year, it has been calling for the unity of middle-party reform forces. Takaichi Sanae‘s decision to dissolve the House of Representatives created an opportunity for the Constituent Democratic Party and the Koming Party to form a new party.
Japan‘s Asahi Shimbun said on the 15th that facing the unexpected situation of the formation of a new party between the Koming Party and the Constitutional Democratic Party, the LDP is anxious about the upcoming House of Representatives elections. The newly formed party emphasizes its “middle-road” stance and shows differences with the LDP, which will affect the LDP‘s election strategy. A current cabinet minister said, “We have previously held back on constitutional amendments due to concerns about the Koming Party, but we will clearly propose constitutional amendments in the future.” This reflects the LDP‘s greater efforts than ever before to seek support from conservative voters. The report also said that the new opposition has begun to generate public distrust of Takashi. It is precisely because of Takashi‘s decision to join power with the Japan Restoration Party, and this time’s sudden announcement to dissolve the House of Representatives, that the Gongming Party has broken with it. A former senior LDP official said that this House of Representatives election “has evolved into an election for choosing a regime,” and he thought the election results might lead to accountability for Takashi. (Sun Mo)