November 8, 2022

Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira on November 7 criticized the former head of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Edano Yukio, as being insincere, when asked by the press corps in the Diet building for a comment about Edano’s remark that his party’s promise to lower the consumption tax rate to 5% in the 2021 general election was wrong.

Koike pointed out that cuts in the consumption tax rate played a key element in the common agenda agreed upon between the Civil Alliance and opposition parties on September 8, 2021 in the runup to the general election. He went on to point out that the JCP and the CDPJ agreed to cooperate in the general election with the aim of creating a government seeking to implement this agreement and that the two parties decided on electoral cooperation in several constituencies in the latest House of Councilors election. Koike said that Edano’s “sales tax cut promise was wrong” remark represents his lack of trustworthiness for voters.

Furthermore, Koike stressed, “I hope the CDPJ will keep its commitment to policy agreements concluded in recent years between us, and fulfill the CDPJ’s responsibility to voters.”

Past related articles:
> Unification of opposition candidates for July Upper House election will be realized only in limited constituencies [May 10, 2022]
> JCP agrees with CDPJ to form limited non-cabinet alliance [October 1, 2021]