Questioning Opposition Leadership

The head of Constitutional Democratic Party, Kenta Izumi, said in a lecture to college students that he would hope to change the government into CDP’s leadership in five years. It was interpreted that he would not seek the change in next election of House of Representatives, which would be taken place within two years. For the leader of the biggest opposition party, it was unusual to indicate that the party was not ready for taking a lead of administration. There rose oppositions against Izumi’s weakness in CDP.

According to the report of Asahi Shimbun, Izumi acknowledged that his idea would invite some oppositions. “I’m thinking about the change of government in five years. Some people say that aiming the change in next general election should be proper target. It’s an idealism,” told Izumi to the students of Hosei University on November 4th.

 

Izumi revealed that CDP had a lot of problem to achieve that goal, referring to the necessity of raising more candidates and create a condition for each candidate to win as many as possible. “We need to take steps to revitalize our party. We will build a firm basis in next election and take the administration eventually,” said Izumi.

 

The day before Izumi’s lecture, the chairman of CDP Policy Research Council Akira Nagatsuma said in his speech in Yamagata city that the party would aim to take the administration in next general election by making the structure of one-on-one match in each district. Former head of the party Renho commented on X that she was always aiming to the regime change. Izumi explained his speech that he meant taking administration “within” five years.

 

Since Izumi took the seat in 2021, CDP has not shown significant boost as the biggest opposition party. The Innovation Party has caught up with CDP in popularity. In the poll of Kyodo News earlier this month, the approval rate for each party was even at 9.3%.

 

Some party members doubt Izumi’s leadership. A veteran lawmaker with CDP who has come through a lot of political struggles, Ichiro Ozawa, established a new group in the party in June. The group upholds the idea of taking administration through a cooperation with other opposition parties in the elections, criticizing Izumi’s reluctance to work with others, especially with Japan Communist Party.

 

Ozawa dismissed Izumi’s idea of the change in five years. “If an opposition leader does not aim the change of administration, shouldn’t he step down?” Ozawa told to the reporters. While it is likely that Ozawa intended to pressure Izumi to accelerate the effort of cooperation, Izumi has not taken any effective steps for it.

 

In spite of victory in the by-election in Tokushima-Kochi district of House of Councillors last month, in which a integrate opposition candidate defeated another with Liberal Democratic Party, Izumi did not approve cooperation with JCP.

 

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is suffering from declining popularity with his ambiguity in tax policy or with the consecutive scandals of his colleagues. If CDP keeps on lagging behind with internal struggles, it will cause a great disappointment for the voters against LDP.

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