Japan’s Three Opposition Parties Abandon Merger After Seven Months

A seven-month-old attempt to unite Japan’s centrist opposition has broken apart, with the three parties choosing to act separately after the alliance’s crushing election defeat.

Leaders of the Chudo Kaikaku Rengo, the Constitutional Democratic Party and Komeito met in parliament for about 30 minutes before formally deciding to abandon the merger for now. The alliance, formed earlier this year by former party leaders Yoshihiko Noda and Tetsuo Saito, had been designed to contest the House of Representatives election.

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Although we have faced various difficult circumstances over the past six months or more, the bonds, friendship and trust established among the 49 of us will not change in the future.

Instead, the group’s strength dropped from 172 seats before the election to 49. Noda and Saito resigned as joint leaders and negotiations over a full merger stalled. The alliance had included only Constitutional Democratic Party and Komeito members of the lower house, while upper-house and local politicians had stayed outside the arrangement.

Chudo representative Junya Ogawa called the decision regrettable but said the 49 lawmakers had built lasting ties. He said the group would seek a new format and continue bringing together centrist forces with the goal of changing the government. He also said the parties would quickly and carefully consider cooperation during the extraordinary Diet session planned for autumn, including a joint parliamentary caucus.

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Komeito has continuously worked to bring its House of Councillors members into the Chudo Kaikaku Rengo and prepared local organizations for after the merger.

Constitutional Democratic Party leader Shunichi Mizuoka described the decision as a new starting point and said the parties would reconsider how to respond to Sanae Takaichi’s government. Komeito representative Toshiko Takeya said her party would avoid joining the alliance alone after the Constitutional Democratic Party decided not to take part.

Komeito’s faction accounts for 28 of the alliance’s 49 lower-house lawmakers. Its members are studying options including splitting the party, dissolving it or resigning individually, with returning to Komeito currently viewed as the most likely choice. A joint caucus could help preserve their parliamentary influence, while keeping the two factions formally separate.

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