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Japan
This Week in AsiaPolitics

As Japan’s ruling party falters, a non-LDP prime minister becomes a real possibility

The Liberal Democratic Party has ruled Japan in unbroken succession since Shinzo Abe’s landslide victory in 2012

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Japanese opposition leaders (from left) Yuichiro Tamaki of the Democratic Party for the People; Yoshihiko Noda of the Constitutional Democratic Party; and Hirofumi Yoshimura of the Japan Innovation Party meet on Wednesday to discuss banding together. Photo: Reuters
Maria Siow
With Japan’s parliament poised to vote on who it wants to next lead the country, a resurgent opposition and the collapse of the ruling coalition have put the prospect of the nation’s first female prime minister in real doubt.
On Tuesday, the leaders of Japan’s principal opposition factions agreed to convene in hopes of fielding a unified candidate for the top job, as they aim to break the Liberal Democratic Party’s 13-year grip on power.

“It will be essential for us to achieve consensus on basic policies,” said Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People, as quoted by Kyodo news agency.

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Tamaki confirmed he would meet Constitutional Democratic Party chief Yoshihiko Noda as he urged Japan’s political opposition to “shift to more realistic policies on national security” and to take clear stances on energy issues, including the future of nuclear power.

Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura, leader of the Japan Innovation Party, has also expressed a willingness to discuss a possible three-way alliance. All three leaders met in Tokyo on Wednesday.

Sanae Takaichi, president of the LDP, speaks at the party’s headquarters on Friday following Komeito’s decision to exit the ruling coalition. Photo: Kyodo
Sanae Takaichi, president of the LDP, speaks at the party’s headquarters on Friday following Komeito’s decision to exit the ruling coalition. Photo: Kyodo
The opposition parties are aiming to present a united front following junior coalition partner Komeito’s exit on Friday from its 26-year partnership with the LDP – a move triggered by the ruling party’s handling of a political slush fund scandal and the recent election of the conservative Sanae Takaichi as party leader.
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