Japan's CRA Aims to Become Constructive Opposition Party

Tokyo, April 14 (Jiji Press)--The major Japanese opposition Centrist Reform Alliance on Tuesday discussed a draft plan to revamp its image from one focused on criticizing the government to one that is a constructive opposition party emphasizing policy proposals.

The draft plan was presented by the party leadership in a meeting of member lawmakers to summarize the CRA's massive defeat in February's election for the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, Japan's parliament.

The proposed shift reflected the fact that the Democratic Party for the People and Team Mirai, which are considered constructive opposition parties, are gaining support mainly among working-age voters.

The CRA leadership acknowledged that the party had failed to dispel the perception that it was formed solely for electoral purposes. The CRA was formed by Lower House lawmakers from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito ahead of the February election.

Assuming that the party could secure a certain number of seats by simply adding the supporter bases of the CDP and Komeito was the "biggest miscalculation," the leadership said, finding that this had led to some independent voters who supported the CDP drifting away and the CRA failing to win over supporters of other opposition parties.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]