Japan’s Centrist Reform Alliance Slams Lower House Dissolution, Says Move by Takaichi Lacked Just Cause

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:29 JST, January 24, 2026

The Centrist Reform Alliance has criticized Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s decision to dissolve the House of Representatives, saying the move lacked just cause.

“I still have serious doubts about whether the timing of the Diet dissolution is truly appropriate,” said CRA coleader Yoshihiko Noda at a party meeting on Friday, taking aim at the prime minister’s judgment.

The dissolution at the very start of the ordinary Diet session has made it nearly impossible to pass the fiscal 2026 budget proposal before the fiscal year ends in March. Concerns are also mounting over the potential impact of heavy snowfall on a mid-winter election campaign.

The CRA intends to capitalize on these issues, centering its campaign on Noda’s framing of the race as a contest between “Me First” and “People First” politics.

The party’s intense focus on questioning the legitimacy of the dissolution appears to reflect the CRA’s frustration over its failure to come up with policies that clearly differentiate it from the ruling coalition.

The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito, which formed the CRA, spent most of their policy coordination meeting talking about national security, energy and constitutional revision, leaving little time for other areas.

The CRA’s campaign pledges, which were released Friday, includes permanently reducing the consumption tax on food items from 8% to zero and introducing a refundable tax credit — a system that combines income tax exemption with cash benefits. However, the Liberal Democratic Party has included both of those measures in its own campaign pledges.

Regarding consumption tax cuts, the CRA vows to make it permanent starting this autumn. To offset the lost revenue, the party proposed establishing a government-backed fund.

Yet, some within the party remain skeptical.

“We’re not sure how much we can effectively communicate these differences in such a short campaign period,” one CRA member said.

With the anticipated “boost” from the new party’s formation still uncertain, the CRA is leaning heavily on two major pillars of support: the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo), which supports the CDPJ, and the organized Komeito vote centered on its lay Buddhist backing group Soka Gakkai. Both provide reliable vote bases in single-seat constituencies and the proportional representation segment — a prospect welcomed by former CDPJ lawmakers with fragile electoral foundations.

A senior CRA official outlined a strategy of working to attract voters who are not happy with the Takaichi administration as well as those from the two organized voting blocs.

However, the party’s priority of maintaining harmony between the CDPJ and Komeito — evidenced by a joint leadership system led by veterans from both sides — has diluted any sense of political renewal. The party has yet to even name its candidate for the prime ministerial designation election.

To capture swing voters, the CRA must also overcome the fact that it lacks name recognition.

“Having Komeito’s support is encouraging, but we are heading into this fight blind,” said a veteran CDPJ-affiliated lawmaker.