LDP’s Suzuki Voices Hope for DPFP Joining Ruling Bloc

Tokyo, Jan. 6 (Jiji Press)–Shunichi Suzuki, secretary-general of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, expressed hope Tuesday that the Democratic Party for the People will join the ruling coalition of his party and the Japan Innovation Party. “It is my hope that a three-party coalition will firmly establish stability in Japanese politics,” Suzuki told a press conference. Noting that the LDP reached an agreement with the DPFP to further raise the minimum taxable income threshold at the end of last year, Suzuki said that “rapport between the two sides is being built.” “I would like the DPFP to cooperate in restoring stability in Japanese politics,” he continued. Japanese Prime Minister and LDP chief Sanae Takaichi at a press conference on Monday said, “We’ll call on the DPFP and other opposition parties for their cooperation.” The DPFP has pledged to help secure a swift enactment of the government’s draft fiscal 2026 budget during this year’s ordinary session of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, set to be convened Jan. 23. Other contending issues at the upcoming Diet deliberations are expected to be the proposed reduction of the number of House of Representatives seats and suggested legislation to give legal validity to the use of maiden names. Although the ruling camp boasts the majority in the lower chamber of the Diet, it remains a minority force in the House of Councillors, the upper chamber. Bringing up the latest remarks, a mid-ranking LDP member said, “The party executive team’s intentions oozed from the statements.” The DPFP is positive about cooperating with the LDP-JIP camp, with party leader Yuichiro Tamaki saying at a press conference on Sunday that the realization of concrete measures to improve people’s lives would demonstrate his party’s “true worth.” “As we’d like to provide our cooperation, I think we’ll maintain a good relationship (with the ruling parties),” he added. Still, some are reluctant about the DPFP joining the ruling coalition. Saying that the party would “just get sucked in” if it joins the ruling camp, a senior DPFP official said, “Policy-by-policy cooperation is enough.” Yoshihiko Noda, who heads the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, voiced wariness for the possibility that all parties would end up becoming a part of one big ruling coalition, adding, “We’ll go head-to-head with the Takaichi administration.” Tomoko Yoshino, president of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, or Rengo, which is the biggest umbrella organization for labor unions in the country and a key supporter of both the DPFP and the CDP, said that the group “cannot condone” the idea of the DPFP joining the LDP-JIP coalition. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]