Japan’s CDP Concerned about Split over 3-Way Merger Plan

Tokyo, July 6 (Jiji Press)–The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, an opposition party, is increasingly concerned about the risk of a split over its potential merger with two other opposition parties–the Centrist Reform Alliance and Komeito. The concerns come as the Komeito side, including members who are part of the CRA, calls on the CDP to approve national security laws and support the reopening of nuclear power plants before the merger. The approval of the security laws and support for nuclear plants are key policies adopted when the CRA was formed in January by some CDP and Komeito members in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, the country’s parliament. If the Komeito side insists on removing lawmakers who oppose the two policies from the potential merger, some CDP lawmakers may become more skeptical about forming the new structure. A CDP chapter in Miyazaki Prefecture approved a plan to aim for the merger at an annual convention on Sunday. But CDP leader Shunichi Mizuoka, speaking to reporters after the meeting, reiterated that he is careful about merger talks. While some want to reach a broad agreement on the merger before the ongoing Diet session ends this month, “it’s not that easy.” Secretaries-general from the three parties will start substantive talks on the merger this week, with a view to combining the three parties around this autumn. Opposition to reopening nuclear plants and to the national security laws are critical positions for the CDP. Mizuoka said, “We can’t be part of the discussions if the conclusion has already been decided.” Makoto Nishida, Komeito’s secretary-general, warned that any concessions will be unlikely on the nuclear power and national security policies, saying that policies are “the basic framework of the CRA.” A CDP executive who is from the Komeito side said, “We can’t be with someone who has different ideas on national security.” Some labor unions that back the CDP said that some liberal members cannot be with the CRA. But removing opposing members could be risky. When the Party of Hope was formed in 2017, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, who led the party at the time, said that it would not include lawmakers who could not agree on national security policy. As a result, the CDP, formed by those who reacted angrily to the remarks, grew stronger, resulting in the disbandment of the Party of Hope. A person familiar with the discussions about the three-way merger said that if too many CDP members are excluded, “it would become just a reunion of Komeito lawmakers.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]