Ogawa Elected as New CRA Leader, Aims to Work Toward Harmony Within Party

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:33 JST, February 13, 2026

Former Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Junya Ogawa was elected as the new leader of the Centrist Reform Alliance on Friday.

Ogawa, 54, will be tasked with rebuilding the CRA, which was formed by the CDPJ and Komeito, after its crushing defeat in the House of Representatives election this month.

In the leadership election, which was held at the party’s headquarters in Tokyo, Ogawa competed against Takeshi Shina, 59, a former parliamentary vice minister for internal affairs and communications who is also from the CDPJ.

Forty-nine lower house members voted, with Ogawa receiving 27 votes to Shina’s 22.

After securing his victory, Ogawa vowed to carry out his duties faithfully. “Because we are a small party, I think there will be many times when we will have to ask each person to do the work of several or even several dozen people,” he said. “I ask for your continued support and dedication in your respective positions for the sake of Japan and the Japanese people.”

In a statement before voting took place, Ogawa outlined his political stance, emphasizing that he would “adhere to pacifism by walking the center path” and “put priority on rebuilding people’s lives.”

“I want to demonstrate a vision for Japan’s future and the value of this party, and work for harmony within the party,” he added.

A key focus for the party’s management is deciding on the timing for House of Councillors members and local assembly members who are still part of the CDPJ or Komeito to join the CRA. Ogawa said there was no need for the members to rush to join the new party.

“We need to take some time and carefully confirm the opinions of those involved before making a decision [about whether they will join],” he said at a press conference on Thursday.

Ogawa, speaking to reporters at the party’s headquarters on Friday morning, said he will follow the CRA’s basic policies, which include acknowledging the constitutionality of security-related legislation and allowing nuclear power plants to be restarted under certain conditions.

Regarding debate on amending Article 9 of the Constitution, Ogawa expressed the view that including the Self-Defense Forces in the Constitution is possible but also said, “We will proceed carefully with such discussions so as to reassure our liberal base.”

During an online program on Thursday night, Ogawa expressed a negative view toward changing the CRA’s name, saying that such a move would be “too soon.”

Another major challenge facing Ogawa is how to achieve harmony between CDPJ and Komeito members within the party. Former CDPJ members are becoming increasingly dissatisfied because former Komeito members were placed at higher positions on the proportional representative list for the lower house election.

The CRA consists of 28 former Komeito members and 21 former CDPJ members.

The new leader’s term will run through March 2027.

Ogawa was born in Takamatsu and served as a Home Affairs Ministry bureaucrat before being elected to the lower house for the first time in 2005 as a member of the Democratic Party of Japan. He has been a member of the Democratic Party, Kibo no To (Party of Hope) and the CDPJ, where he served as secretary general and chairman of the Policy Research Council.