Japan Press Weekly

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2019 January 23 - 29 TOP3 [POLITICS]

Opposition leaders agree to take concrete steps toward fielding unified candidates in Upper House election

Leaders of six opposition parties on January 28 met in the Diet building and agreed to enter swiftly into negotiations for fielding a unified opposition candidate in all 32 single-seat constituencies in this summer’s House of Councilors election.

The six leaders also concluded that in the 198th ordinary Diet session which began earlier in the day, the opposition block will strengthen joint efforts and collaboration to grill the Abe administration over the issue of the Labor Ministry’s falsification of monthly survey data and over issues regarding domestic and foreign policies.

The six leaders were from the Japanese Communist Party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Democratic Party for the People, the Liberal Party, the Social Democratic Party, and the Lower House political group “The Reviewing Group on Social Security Policy”.

In the meeting, JCP Chair Shii Kazuo proposed that in the negotiations on joint candidates, discussions on the creation of a joint election platform be also promoted in line with an agreement between opposition parties and the Civil Alliance. The JCP proposal met with unanimous aapproval.

After the meeting, Shii said to the press, “A consensus on electoral cooperation which was achieved in today’s meeting marked an important step toward putting up a unified struggle in 32 single-seat districts in the Upper House election. The JCP will work hard to build ‘wholehearted collaboration’ among the anti-Abe opposition forces.”

JCP Secretariat Head Koike Akira and secretaries-general of other five political groups also attended the meeting.

Past related articles:
> Shii in New Year assembly calls for stepping up efforts to win Upper House and simultaneous local elections [January, 5, 2019]
> Civil Alliance and opposition forces begin discussing collaboration in 2019 Upper House election [November 17, 2018]
> JCP to other opposition parties: Let's start talks on Upper House electoral cooperation [October 18, 2018]