Japan’s Opposition Eyes Unity to Challenge Ruling Party’s PM Candidate
(MENAFN) Japan’s leading opposition party has signaled willingness to make “policy concessions” to back a joint candidate against the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in the upcoming prime ministerial vote, local media revealed Sunday.
Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), expressed readiness for “discussions with some flexibility” aimed at bridging differences with other opposition groups. He urged Yuichiro Tamaki, head of the Democratic Party for the People (DPP), to adopt a similar stance, according to media in Tokyo.
Noda’s remarks come after the Komeito party announced on Friday it would end its 26-year alliance with the LDP—a move that could complicate efforts by new LDP leader Sanae Takaichi to become Japan’s first female prime minister.
The DPP has pointed to disagreements over energy and security policies as major hurdles to uniting behind a single opposition candidate.
Noda, who served as prime minister in the past, insisted that Tamaki must show “the ability to bring others together,” adding that “refusing to seek common ground would be ‘an irresponsible attitude.’”
Meanwhile, Komeito’s leader Tetsuo Saito suggested his party might explore limited electoral cooperation with opposition groups like the CDPJ, while continuing policy talks with the LDP.
The parliamentary vote for Japan’s next prime minister is expected later this month. Although the LDP remains the largest party in the House of Representatives, it will only form a minority government unless it secures alliances with at least two significant opposition parties.
To win, a prime ministerial candidate must secure a majority in both chambers of parliament. If no candidate achieves this in the first round, a runoff between the top two contenders decides the victor.
The LDP lost control of the upper house—the House of Councillors—in July’s elections, prompting Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to resign in September.
Japan’s political system prioritizes the lower house’s decision in choosing the next prime minister.
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