Japan DPFP Struggles with Reduced Presence after Election

Tokyo, March 23 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese opposition Democratic Party for the People is struggling to maintain its relevance in national politics after the ruling Liberal Democratic Party won a historic victory in last month's general election.

With the ruling bloc holding three-quarters of the seats in the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of parliament, the DPFP's strategy of negotiating for concessions, rather than taking a confrontational stance against the government, is stalling.

The party is also struggling because its key policy proposals, such as seeking a proactive fiscal policy, often overlap with those of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's administration.

"In order to normalize Lower House affairs, a report on (Takaichi's) visit to the United States and intensive deliberations are necessary," DPFP parliamentary affairs chief Motohisa Furukawa told his counterpart Takashi Endo of the junior ruling Japan Innovation Party last week.

The comment reflected the DPFP's wish to be treated as the largest opposition party, as it has 53 members across both parliamentary chambers. The Centrist Reform Alliance, formed by Lower House members of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito, has only 49 members, as CDP and Komeito members in the House of Councillors, the upper chamber, have decided to postpone joining the new party.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]