Centrist Party, DPFP Positive on Joining National Council

Tokyo, March 4 (Jiji Press)–The leaders of the major Japanese opposition Centrist Reform Alliance and the Democratic Party for the People on Wednesday sounded positive on their participation in a recently launched suprapartisan national council on consumption tax and other issues. “We want to positively consider” joining the council, Centrist Reform Alliance chief Junya Ogawa said in a television program. “We would be ready to participate if conditions, such as information disclosure, are met,” DPFP head Yuichiro Tamaki said in the same TV program. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party, led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, have continued calling on the Centrist Reform Alliance and the DPFP to join the national council after two opposition parties skipped its inaugural meeting held on Thursday last week. Team Mirai is currently the only opposition party in the council, which discusses a proposal to exempt food items from the consumption tax for two years and social security-related issues. The Centrist Reform Alliance, comprising only lawmakers in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, was established by the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito, the LDP’s former coalition partner, in January, ahead of the Feb. 8 Lower House election. Also on Wednesday, the LDP asked the CDP, which now consists of lawmakers in the House of Councillors, the upper Diet chamber, to participate in the council. The CDP will discuss the request at a meeting of its executives Thursday. The LDP has also called for the participation by Komeito, all of whose lawmakers are Upper House members. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]