CRA Abandons Integration

The leader of Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), Shun-ichi Mizuoka, announced that his party would not join the Centrist Reform Alliance (CRA) in a meeting with the leaders of CRA and Komeito on August 28th. Instead, Mizuoka proposed forming an integrated parliamentary group in the Upper House, but Komeito unequivocally rejected it. It is possible that Komeito will leave the CRA to seal its fate. 

When the CDPJ and Komeito established the CRA in January for Lower House snap election initiated by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the Upper House members of the CDPJ and Komeito did not join the new party. Result of the election was fatal for the CRA, having lost significant number of the seats. Criticisms on merger of two parties without integration on basic policies damaged mainly former-CDPJ candidates in single-seat districts.

 

The CDPJ and Komeito in the Upper House accumulated discussions over when they would join the CRA, setting a time limit at the end of August. Komeito has decided that they can join the CRA even before the CDPJ would reach a conclusion. But the CDPJ delayed wrapping up their discussion with skepticisms from local branches. The CDPJ and Komeito have been rivals in elections for decades.

 

The deadline of merger was set to be ready for unified local elections in April 2027. Receiving oppositions to merger with Komeito from local branches, Mizuoka explained that the CDPJ would not join the CRA, insisting on integrity between national and local organizations of his party. “We hope to promote trilateral cooperation in the Diet, policies and elections,” said Mizuoka in the meeting with leaders of the CRA and Komeito.

 

Frustrated with indecisiveness of the CDPJ, Komeito immediately rejected the idea of establishing new parliamentary group of both parties in the Upper House. The reason was difference on policies. While Komeito approves exercise of collective self-defense right written in the security legislation of 2015, resumption of nuclear power plants and building new military base in Henoko, Okinawa, the CDPJ demands dropping unconstitutional clauses in the security legislation, reduction of nuclear power plants and stopping construction of Henoko base.

 

Komeito has some choices. They are keeping current cooperative relationship with the CRA and CDPJ, leaving CRA and making new relationship with another party including the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). In the CRA, former members of Komeito overwhelms them from the CDPJ in number. Komeito’s leaving from the CRA will give fatal damage on the party. Born in January, the CRA is facing a critical moment.

 

The greatest miscalculation of the CRA was that they could not build a major political bloc that would counter the LDP. The founders of CRA expected some lawmakers in LDP, who kept distance from Takaichi, to join the new party. But they did not decide to leave the LDP, hoping to reform the party from inside. As the result, opposition powers are further fragmented.

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