News about Japan

[Tom MoodyParticipant]

In Prime Minister Election, JIP Leader Rules out Cooperation with CDPJ, Lowering Risk of Loss for LDP

Japan Innovation Party leader Hirofumi Yoshimura effectively denied on Friday that his party would cooperate with the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan in a prime minister election.

“It would be difficult [for the JIP] to name a CDPJ representative in the prime minister election, as our respective party policies differ significantly,” Yoshimura said.

A prime minister election is to be held in the extraordinary Diet session following the Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership election. A lack of unity among opposition parties would make it highly likely that the new LDP president becomes prime minister.

At a press conference on the same day, CDPJ leader Yoshihiko Noda emphasized that “if the first, second and third largest opposition parties unite, we have a chance to win” in the election against the minority ruling parties. He proposed holding talks on cooperation with the JIP and the Democratic Party for the People as early as next week.

In response, Yoshimura pointed out differences between the JIP and the CDPJ on foreign and security policies, telling reporters at the Osaka prefectural government office, “It doesn’t make sense to join forces just for the prime minister election.”

The previous prime minister election was held following last autumn’s House of Representatives election. Incumbent Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba failed to secure a majority of votes in the first round of voting. In the resulting runoff against Noda, the JIP and the DPFP each voted for their own party leaders, and the large number of invalid votes allowed Ishiba to claim victory.

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