TOKYO, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of Japan's main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) and Komeito on Friday formally named their jointly established new party the Centrist Reform Alliance.
It marks the first major political response to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's sudden indication of her intention to dissolve the House of Representatives and call a snap election.
Why did the two parties choose to team up at this moment? Can the new party counter Japan's conservative ruling bloc, and what policies is it likely to promote?
WHY TEAM UP NOW?
CDPJ leader and former prime minister Yoshihiko Noda and Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito announced their decision to form a new centrist party on Thursday.
At a joint news conference following their talks, the two leaders told reporters that their goal was to expand "centrist" political forces and prevent Japanese politics from tilting too far to the right.
Saito said that consolidating centrist forces is essential for Japan's survival and development as a peaceful nation in the international community.
For years, Japan's opposition parties have been criticized by Japanese media as fragmented and disunited. That dynamic shifted rapidly on Wednesday -- the same day Takaichi formally informed ruling coalition officials of her intention to dissolve the lower house -- when the CDPJ and Komeito announced plans to cooperate, reaching an agreement to form the new centrist party the following day.
The move came as the two parties sought to present a united front against the conservative ruling camp led by Takaichi in the expected lower house election, as both parties were concerned about the right-leaning stance of the Takaichi administration.
The CDPJ has traditionally taken relatively moderate positions, particularly on the revision of the constitution, diplomacy and security policy. Komeito has long been uneasy with hardline conservative policies and has been openly critical of Takaichi's far-right ideology.
Komeito terminated its coalition with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) after Takaichi was elected president of the LDP in October last year, and the party has also grown deeply uneasy about the security policies introduced since Takaichi took office.
CAN THE ALLIANCE CHECK RULING CAMP?
The CDPJ and Komeito envision retaining their respective party structures after the new party is launched.
A total of 172 lower house lawmakers currently belonging to the CDPJ and Komeito are expected to be the first to join the new party, while lawmakers in the upper house and local governments would remain in their original parties.
The new party is also recruiting additional candidates. Noda said on a television program on Thursday that he hopes to field around 200 candidates, including newcomers.
According to official data, the LDP holds 199 seats of the 465 seats in the House of Representatives, while its coalition ally, the Japan Innovation Party, holds 34. The CDPJ controls 148 seats, while Komeito holds 24.
Kyodo News has noted that Komeito has the ability to mobilize roughly 10,000 to 20,000 votes in single-seat constituencies nationwide -- support that previously went to LDP candidates. As Komeito redirects that support to the CDPJ, election outcomes could be significantly altered.
Itsunori Onodera, chairman of the LDP research commission on the tax system, was quoted by the Asahi Shimbun as saying that Komeito's backing had been decisive for the LDP in many competitive districts in the past election. Without it, he warned, the ruling party will inevitably take a hit.
WHAT POLICIES WILL THE NEW PARTY ADVOCATE?
The Centrist Reform Alliance is scheduled to unveil its key policy items on Jan. 19, according to Kyodo News. Ahead of that, Japanese media outlets have inferred its policy direction from past positions of the CDPJ and Komeito.
On political reform, both parties have long criticized the LDP's handling of political funding scandals. Takaichi herself was accused last December of accepting a political donation that exceeded the legal maximum, fueling public anger.
It is expected that tighter oversight of political finances will feature prominently in the new party's agenda.
On diplomacy and security, the Takaichi administration has pushed to revise key national security documents, ease restrictions on arms exports and raise defense spending.
Both opposition parties have criticized these moves. They tend to favor easing regional tensions, taking a cautious stance on revision of the constitution, and avoiding radical shifts in security policy.
On economic and fiscal policy, concerns center on sustainability. Japan's parliament last December enacted an 18.3 trillion yen (about 116 billion U.S. dollars) supplementary budget for the 2025 fiscal year, much of it funded through government bond issuance, raising concerns over Japan's fiscal health.
Takaichi's plans to meet a defense-spending target of 2 percent of GDP may also involve tax hikes, which both parties oppose. Japanese media predicted that the new party would include key policies such as tax cuts to ease livelihood pressure. ■
