CRA, CDPJ, Komeito to Bolster Cooperation; Will Hold Weekly Meetings of Officials, Coordinate on Legislation

The Centrist Reform Alliance, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito held the first-ever meeting of their secretaries general and Diet affairs committee chairs on Tuesday, during which they agreed to strengthen cooperation on Diet affairs.

As a full-scale integration of the three parties has been put on hold for the time being, the move is intended to bridge the distance between them by first creating a united front in the Diet.

During the meeting, which was held at the Diet Building, the parties’ respective secretaries general — Takeshi Shina of the CRA, Masayo Tanabu of the CDPJ and Makoto Nishida of Komeito — reached a consensus on a policy of demanding sufficient deliberation time for the draft fiscal 2026 budget. They also confirmed they would cooperate in discussions regarding regulations on social media during election campaigns.

Going forward, the three parties plan to hold these meetings every Tuesday in principle. The decision to deepen coordination on legislation stems from the CRA’s loss of a significant number of seats in the recent House of Representatives election.

While the CDPJ and Komeito have teamed up to form the CRA in the lower house, they continue to exist as separate parties in the House of Councillors and local assemblies.

Despite the move toward cooperation, the three parties are conducting their post-election reviews independently. While the CRA will hold a session to gauge the opinions of its failed candidates on Saturday, the CDPJ and Komeito will hold opinion exchanges with their respective local assembly members and others in March.

Following Tuesday’s meeting, Shina remained cautious regarding the prospect of a total integration, saying only, “Since we have party members and supporters to consider, we will first focus on ensuring solid communication among party executives.”