May 10, 2022
It is highly likely that in the House of Councilors election scheduled to be held in July, unified opposition candidates will be fielded only in a limited number of single-seat constituencies.
Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira and Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Nishimura Chinami on May 9 held talks in the Diet building and confirmed the following two things for the upcoming Upper House election:
One is that the two parties will “set aside” the previous agreement which was made in the runup to the 2021 general election regarding JCP’s “cooperation as a non-cabinet partner with a new government in a limited manner”.
The other is about the selection of joint opposition candidates in 32 single-seat constituencies in the July Upper House election. The selection will be made preferentially in “electoral districts where the opposition force stands a good chance of winning.” This means that opposition parties will run their joint candidates only in specific constituencies.
At a press conference after the talks, asked about the previous agreement on the JCP’s non-cabinet cooperation, Koike explained, “The CDPJ thinks that as the choice of a government is not the issue in the coming House of Councilors election, it is not necessary to renew this agreement. In contrast, the JCP stressed the need to maintain the non-cabinet cooperation agreement as a promise the opposition parties made to the general public. Unfortunately, we couldn’t reach an understanding on this matter.”
Koike said, “The JCP position is that collaboration between opposition parties and concerned citizens is the only way to change Japan’s politics. In the July Upper House election, the party will make all-out efforts to achieve goals that will lead to a success in future elections.”
The Civil Alliance has been calling on pro-constitution opposition parties to join hands in national elections. On this day too, the organization held a symposium in the Diet building with the attendance of opposition parties and parliamentary groups, and called for realizing opposition parties’ collaboration in as many single-member districts as possible.
In the symposium, JCP Koike said, “Only when we, opposition parties, team up with each other can we become a viable option for voters. To adhere to the principle of mutual respect on an equal footing will develop opposition parties’ joint struggle into a truly strong one. I’ll work hard to overcome the many difficulties to advance opposition parties’ cooperation.”
Along with JCP Koike and CDPJ Nishimura, Social Democratic Party head Fukushima Mizuho and representatives of parliamentary groups in the Upper House, Iha Yoichi (Okinawa Whirlwind) and Kada Yoshiko (Hekisuikai), also took part in the symposium.
Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira and Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Nishimura Chinami on May 9 held talks in the Diet building and confirmed the following two things for the upcoming Upper House election:
One is that the two parties will “set aside” the previous agreement which was made in the runup to the 2021 general election regarding JCP’s “cooperation as a non-cabinet partner with a new government in a limited manner”.
The other is about the selection of joint opposition candidates in 32 single-seat constituencies in the July Upper House election. The selection will be made preferentially in “electoral districts where the opposition force stands a good chance of winning.” This means that opposition parties will run their joint candidates only in specific constituencies.
At a press conference after the talks, asked about the previous agreement on the JCP’s non-cabinet cooperation, Koike explained, “The CDPJ thinks that as the choice of a government is not the issue in the coming House of Councilors election, it is not necessary to renew this agreement. In contrast, the JCP stressed the need to maintain the non-cabinet cooperation agreement as a promise the opposition parties made to the general public. Unfortunately, we couldn’t reach an understanding on this matter.”
Koike said, “The JCP position is that collaboration between opposition parties and concerned citizens is the only way to change Japan’s politics. In the July Upper House election, the party will make all-out efforts to achieve goals that will lead to a success in future elections.”
The Civil Alliance has been calling on pro-constitution opposition parties to join hands in national elections. On this day too, the organization held a symposium in the Diet building with the attendance of opposition parties and parliamentary groups, and called for realizing opposition parties’ collaboration in as many single-member districts as possible.
In the symposium, JCP Koike said, “Only when we, opposition parties, team up with each other can we become a viable option for voters. To adhere to the principle of mutual respect on an equal footing will develop opposition parties’ joint struggle into a truly strong one. I’ll work hard to overcome the many difficulties to advance opposition parties’ cooperation.”
Along with JCP Koike and CDPJ Nishimura, Social Democratic Party head Fukushima Mizuho and representatives of parliamentary groups in the Upper House, Iha Yoichi (Okinawa Whirlwind) and Kada Yoshiko (Hekisuikai), also took part in the symposium.
