3 Opposition Parties to Join Suprapartisan Talks on Tax Cut

Tokyo, March 18 (Jiji Press)–The Centrist Reform Alliance, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito agreed Wednesday to join the National Council for Social Security for suprapartisan talks on a proposed consumption tax reduction and a refundable tax credit system. The three opposition parties are expected to join the talks as early as next week, after coordinating the details of their participation with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. “We’ll coordinate for the three parties to participate together,” Junya Ogawa, leader of the centrist party, told reporters after meeting with CDP chief Shunichi Mizuoka and Komeito head Toshiko Takeya. “The sooner (the parties participate), the better,” he added. From the opposition camp, the Democratic Party for the People and Team Mirai have already participated in the national council. The centrist party, the CDP and Komeito had been carefully considering the LDP’s invitation to the council, in light of the ruling bloc’s “forcible” moves to enact the government’s fiscal 2026 budget bill. At Wednesday’s meeting, the three parties also agreed to deepen their cooperation for next spring’s unified local elections, including drawing up common policies. Regarding Thursday’s Japan-U.S. summit, they decided to submit their requests related to the safety of the Strait of Hormuz and additional U.S. tariffs to the government. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]