INTERVIEW: CRA Leader Ogawa Calls for Full Merger with CDP, Komeito

Tokyo, April 3 (Jiji Press)–The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito should merge with the Centrist Reform Alliance fully, including at the local level, CRA leader Junya Ogawa said in an interview with Jiji Press on Tuesday. “Prolonged stagnation…could sink them together,” Ogawa said, referring to the three Japanese opposition parties. The CRA was formed by House of Representatives lawmakers from the CDP and Komeito, formerly a coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, just before February’s election for the all-important lower chamber of Japan’s parliament. Plans to have CDP and Komeito members in the House of Councillors, the upper chamber, and local assemblies join the CRA have been shelved since the crushing defeat in the election. “The best thing for the CRA is to have a considerable number of lawmakers and build a nationwide network of local chapters, party members and party supporters,” Ogawa said. He stressed the need to take unified local elections in spring next year and the Upper House election set for 2028 into consideration when considering the timing of the full merger. For the unified local races, Ogawa said, the three parties need to field candidates actively, provide mutual support and adjust candidates in order to win more seats. He did not elaborate on the three parties’ cooperation in the proportional representation race of the 2028 Upper House election. Ogawa said that the CRA will carefully discuss ways to ensure stable Imperial succession because “the Imperial Household system has heavy historical and traditional weight.” The CRA will complete its discussions on the matter by the end of May as the ruling coalition seeks to revise the Imperial Household Law before the current parliamentary session ends in July, he said. He said he does not rule out future debate on a female emperor. Ogawa said the CRA will begin discussions this month on his proposal to create a “competitive welfare state.” The proposal is modeled on a Nordic system that requires a certain amount of public burden but gives a sense of security, he said, adding this is “competitiveness rooted in a sense of security.” He said the CRA aims to present an interim report on the matter before the end of the current parliamentary session. Ogawa said “it would be desirable for the ruling party and the major opposition party to have a compromise over legislation being pursued by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, including bills to establish a national intelligence council and criminalize the act of damaging the Japanese flag. He called for the ruling coalition to adopt a flexible stance to reflect opposition positions. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]