January 16, 2018
Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira on January 15 severely criticized the Democratic Party's decision to launch a parliamentary alliance with the Party of Hope.
The DP earlier in the day signed an agreement with Tokyo governor's Hope Party toward the inauguration of a joint Diet group made up of the DP and the PH in both chambers. Regarding this move, Koike at a press conference in the Diet building raised his voice, saying, "Absolutely irrational!"
Not only that, but the DP in the agreement assures the rightwing-leaning and anti-constitution PH that the DP will reconsider its previous stand on the national security legislation, the so-called war laws.
Koike said, "Leaders of the opposition parties, including the DP and our party, engaged in discussions many times and agreed to work together to retract the war laws in addition to the Cabinet decision allowing Japan's use of the collective self-defense right." Koike strongly condemned the DP for intending to break the promise made among the party heads.
Koike then pointed out that eight DP lawmakers won Upper House seats as united opposition candidates in the 2016 national election, and that another eight in the Lower House made a promise to concerned citizens during the 2017 general election campaign that they, if elected, "will not participate in the Party of Hope".
"In the light of all things considered, our party boldly decided to not field our own candidates in some of the constituencies in the 2017 Lower House race, and with support from the Civil Alliance we fought that election as a component of the joint citizens/opposition parties struggle."
Koike added, "For those 16 DP legislators, joining the DP-HP unified group will be a betrayal of voters' trust."
The DP earlier in the day signed an agreement with Tokyo governor's Hope Party toward the inauguration of a joint Diet group made up of the DP and the PH in both chambers. Regarding this move, Koike at a press conference in the Diet building raised his voice, saying, "Absolutely irrational!"
Not only that, but the DP in the agreement assures the rightwing-leaning and anti-constitution PH that the DP will reconsider its previous stand on the national security legislation, the so-called war laws.
Koike said, "Leaders of the opposition parties, including the DP and our party, engaged in discussions many times and agreed to work together to retract the war laws in addition to the Cabinet decision allowing Japan's use of the collective self-defense right." Koike strongly condemned the DP for intending to break the promise made among the party heads.
Koike then pointed out that eight DP lawmakers won Upper House seats as united opposition candidates in the 2016 national election, and that another eight in the Lower House made a promise to concerned citizens during the 2017 general election campaign that they, if elected, "will not participate in the Party of Hope".
"In the light of all things considered, our party boldly decided to not field our own candidates in some of the constituencies in the 2017 Lower House race, and with support from the Civil Alliance we fought that election as a component of the joint citizens/opposition parties struggle."
Koike added, "For those 16 DP legislators, joining the DP-HP unified group will be a betrayal of voters' trust."
