Tamaki Wins 3rd Term as Head of Japan Opposition DPFP

Tokyo, Sept. 6 (Jiji Press)–Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki won a third term in the Japanese opposition party’s leadership election Sunday. In the election, held at an extraordinary party convention in Tokyo, Tamaki, 57, defeated his sole opponent, Mikihiko Hashimoto, 30, a member of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, Japan’s parliament. Tamaki won 127 of the 159 points, far more than 32 gained by Hashimoto. Tamaki obtained 42 points from DPFP member lawmakers, and Hashimoto 11. At a press conference after the election, Tamaki said that his new term, which runs until the end of September 2029, will be a “period for the DPFP to make preparations to seize power,” adding, “We aim to raise the number of our parliamentary seats and run the government in a way that allows us to lead the realization of policies.” As to the 2028 election for the Senate, the upper Diet chamber, Tamaki said that the DPFP aims to increase its seats in the chamber, formerly called the House of Councillors, to 40 or more including those not to be contested in the poll, in a bid to become the largest opposition party in the chamber. “We will do what we should to secure a victory” in the Senate election, he said. “We aim to perform strongly in the next Lower House election by beefing up our bargaining power and ability to realize policies,” he also said. In the Senate, the DPFP currently has 25 seats, compared with 39 for the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the biggest opposition party in the upper chamber. Tamaki stressed that he will not make a drastic change to the party’s leadership team, vowing to keep Secretary-General Kazuya Shinba in the post. Meanwhile, he avoided commenting clearly on how he will treat Hashimoto and other young and middle-ranking party members, saying he will consider putting the right person in the right place. Tamaki said the party will stick to its stance of facing the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on a case-by-case basis. Over the Takaichi government’s plan to cut the consumption tax rate for food for two years, Tamaki said, “We will point out problems with the plan and present a counterproposal.” The planned consumption tax reduction is expected to become a focal issue in an extraordinary Diet session seen to be convened this autumn. An integration plan among three opposition parties–the Centrist Reform Alliance, the CDP and Komeito–has been canceled, and the CRA is likely to be split. Tamaki said that he will not easily seek an alliance with any of them, underscoring his intention to put priority on strengthening his party. On whether to accept CRA members hailing from the CDP, Tamaki said only, “We plan to wait and see how things will develop.” The confusion surrounding the CRA, the CDP and Komeito may be a chance for the DPFP to boost its presence. Still, things may not be so easy. The DPFP once saw its public support increase thanks to popular measures it proposed, such as a hike in the minimum taxable income level and a gasoline tax cut. But approval ratings for the party have slumped since then, apparently because it has been unable to come up with fresh policy measures. In the Lower House, the DPFP has only 28 seats. “We need to double the number, but the hurdle is quite high,” a source related to the party said. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party had expected the DPFP to join the ruling coalition. The opposition party’s relations with the Takaichi administration have soured, however, due to the planned consumption tax cut for food, a step opposed by the DPFP. Against the backdrop, the DPFP is expected to refrain from joining the ruling coalition, currently comprising the LDP and the Japan Innovation Party, for the time being, informed sources said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]