Opposition Parties Unlikely to Cooperate Ahead of Election; JIP Leader Says Coordinating with CDPJ ‘Impossible’

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:17 JST, October 10, 2024

Opposition parties are unlikely to cooperate ahead of the House of Representatives election as they are expected to compete in many constituencies.

The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan aims to win over voters who are critical of the Liberal Democratic Party by making the issues regarding “politics and money” a main point of contention in the election.

“We must defeat the unreasonable political force this time,” CDPJ leader Yoshihiko Noda said at the party’s general assembly on Wednesday following the dissolution of the lower house at the Diet building. “We will win the general election no matter what.”

In the previous lower house election in 2021, five opposition parties — the CDPJ, the Japanese Communist Party, the Democratic Party for the People, Reiwa Shinsengumi and the Social Democratic Party — coordinated their candidates through a citizens’ group.

However, in this election, there is a noticeable lack of coordination among the opposition parties. The CDPJ is calling on other parties to back a single candidate in each of the 46 constituencies where LDP members who were involved in the political funds scandal are running. So far, opposition party candidates are running against each other in 40 constituencies.

After learning that the LDP has decided not to endorse members in 11 constituencies, a CDPJ official said, “This is a great opportunity to defeat them.”

But in reality, multiple opposition party candidates are planning to run in all 11 constituencies.

The JCP, which opposes Noda’s conservative political stance, has decided to field candidates in about 210 constituencies, more than the CDPJ, and is expected to compete with the CDPJ in about 130 constituencies. The JCP is said to have about 10,000 votes in each constituency.

“The party leadership isn’t coordinating [with other parties] as it should be doing,” a senior CDPJ official said. “This [lack of coordination] tends to help the LDP.”

The Japan Innovation Party is also competing with the CDPJ in about 120 constituencies.

JIP leader Nobuyuki Baba referred to the possibility of coordinating with the CDPJ at Wednesday’s press conference, saying, “That is physically and theoretically impossible.”