Centrist Reform Alliance to Name Shina as Secretary-General

Tokyo, Feb. 16 (Jiji Press)–Junya Ogawa, leader of the Centrist Reform Alliance, plans to appoint Takeshi Shina as secretary-general of the main Japanese opposition party, people familiar with the matter said Monday. Shina, 59, is a former member of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, which together with Komeito formed the alliance last month. He lost to Ogawa in the new party’s leadership race on Friday. Shina will concurrently serve as election chief. Ogawa plans to place Shina, who has been elected to the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, eight times, in the party’s No. 2 post after he received certain support in the leadership election. In addition, Ogawa plans to name former Komeito member Mitsunari Okamoto, 60, as policy chief of the alliance and former CDP member Kazuhiko Shigetoku, 55, as its parliamentary affairs chief. Okamoto, who has won a Lower House seat six times, previously served as co-policy chief of the centrist party. Ogawa plans to form his party’s new executive team on Wednesday, the day a special parliamentary session opens. He intends to promote reconciliation and balance between former CDP and Komeito members, to rebuild the party after its crushing defeat in the Feb. 8 Lower House election. Ogawa will name Kanae Yamamoto, 54, a former Komeito member, as acting party leader as part of efforts to give women important roles. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]