CDP to Defer 3-Way Merger with CRA, Komeito

Tokyo, Aug. 27 (Jiji Press)–The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan plans to defer a proposed merger with two other opposition parties, the Centrist Reform Alliance and Komeito, officials said Thursday. The policy was conveyed by CDP Secretary-General Masayo Tanabu to her counterparts from the CRA and Komeito at a meeting. Although the three parties had initially aimed to reach a final agreement by the end of this month, the CDP concluded that a merger would be difficult at present due to strong opposition from its lawmakers and local chapters. As a result, the future of the CRA has become uncertain. The party was formed by CDP and Komeito members in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, ahead of the Lower House election in February. On Thursday, CDP leader Shunichi Mizuoka, Tanabu and other party executives discussed the issue at the party headquarters. After the meeting, one participant made it clear that the proposed merger had effectively been put back to square one. The leaders of the three opposition parties are set to hold a meeting Friday. The CRA currently has 49 Lower House members, including 28 former Komeito members. If the former Komeito members were to leave, the CRA’s viability could be seriously undermined, analysts said. Also on Thursday, CRA leader Junya Ogawa met with Komeito Secretary-General Makoto Nishida and called for continued cooperation among the three parties. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]