2026 POLLS: LDP to Slam Centrists in Election as Unfit to Govern

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–Shunichi Suzuki, secretary-general of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, has said that his party will question the newly formed Centrist Reform Alliance’s ability to govern during the campaign period for the Feb. 8 House of Representatives election. In a recent interview with Jiji Press and other news outlets, the LDP executive criticized the Centrist Reform Alliance, founded by the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito, a former LDP ally, as a “party created for the election” for the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, Japan’s parliament. “Considering the lead-up to the party’s launch, it is undoubtedly a party created for the election,” Suzuki said. “The CDP previously cooperated with the Japanese Communist Party, so it’s a very left-leaning form of centrism.” “I’ve seen parties form and disband, but the New Frontier Party only lasted three years while the Party of Hope disappeared after one election,” he said, referring to political parties formed in 1994 and 2017, respectively. “It’s highly questionable whether this new party will last,” he continued. “Does a party that may not last long have the qualifications to speak about Japan’s future? Can we trust the future to a party that may disappear?” Suzuki expressed confidence in the LDP being able to win back base supporters that have drifted from the party in recent years, saying it can advocate its policies explicitly now that its coalition with Komeito has ended. The LDP and Komeito were partners for 26 years until soon after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was elected as LDP leader. “Winning a ruling bloc majority is our baseline goal,” the secretary-general said regarding the LDP’s target in the Lower House poll. The party is currently in a coalition with the Japanese Innovation Party. “Political stability was severely damaged when the LDP fell short of a majority,” he said. “We must win back political stability.” On a possible coalition deal with the opposition Democratic Party for the People, Suzuki suggested that the LDP and DPFP could deepen their relationship of trust based on their track record of collaborating to realize policies, while pointing out that the party was critical of Takaichi’s decision to call the Lower House election. But he declined to comment on what cooperation between the two parties would look like. “(The upcoming election is about) whether the Takaichi administration can gain support for its new policies, including its ‘responsible and proactive’ fiscal policy, a review of Japan’s three key security-related documents and improvements to diplomatic capabilities,” he said. Suzuki defended the LDP’s shift in policy, which now calls for reducing the consumption tax on food items to zero for two years. The party had previously been reluctant to adopt a cut in the consumption tax. “It’s not strange to include in policy pledges a measure agreed upon with the JIP,” he said. The LDP executive also defended his party’s decision to endorse candidates who were involved in a high-profile slush fund scandal involving LDP factions, saying that the individuals already faced voters in the last Lower House poll in 2024. But he said the party will continue to listen to criticism and try to allay concerns. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]