Post-merger Japan opposition party to have more than 140 lawmakers

“take a big step toward assuming power”

Nah. You need to have good policies, not just more members. It’s not a battle of numbers, but a battle of policy ideas - or rather, that is the only way to beat LDP. People vote for LDP by default. So you need really good policies to convince people to do otherwise.

This looks just like a partial reamalgamation of the old Minshuto that failed, so I expect nothing, but more of the same old stuff that didn’t win elections before and won’t in future either.

The Constitutional Democratic Party for the People of Japan ? CDPPJ

At least three dozen or so of the DPFP lawmakers, including Secretary General Hirofumi Hirano and Diet Affairs Committee chairman Kazuhiro Haraguchi, are likely to participate in the merger, the executives said on condition of anonymity.

Oh dear. I don't see this going well if they're letting Nippon Kaigi members in.

CDPJ leader Yukio Edano said he is aiming for the merger to take place in early September. "At the start of next month, we will take on a new, more powerful form and take a big step toward assuming power," he told a party meeting on Thursday.

This has got to be about more than just assuming power. The CDPJ as the party with more members needs to work out its policy platform and tell the newcomers they can either sign up to it or join pseudo-LDP losers like Tamaki and Maehara.

Pipe dream, opposition parties pretty much are just for show in Japan. I don't see how they can put pressure on the LDP, as the LDP can never lose as they have at least 30% of the population who are die-hard supporters, and that alone will win them the majority every time. Furthermore, they are also the default choice for the non-die-hard population with more name recognition, and more people from major political families which carry a lot of weight in Japan.

RecklessAug. 14  08:28 pm JST

I am not optimistic of a real dual party system until vote disparity is addressed.

That's a big problem but not the only one. I think the LDP have tons more cash than the opposition parties, and this translates into numbers of candidates. There needs to be one other party with a realistic chance of forming a government by itself and that also means putting up the money to challenge the LDP in every constituency, among other things.

The LDP is in power because the US enforces Japanese political system at their favors.

Last time, the CIA sabotaged the DPJ's efforts of governance when the Americans found out that they were too close to China. During the 1970s, the Soviet Union offered Japan the two smaller islands of Shikotan and the Habomai Islands in exchange for Japan renouncing all claims to the two bigger islands of Iturup and Kunashir, but Japan refused the offer after pressure from the US. There is no hope for Japan if their political system always bows down to the USA.

Now, Abe and LDP cronies finally consolidated Japan into an one-party state like China, Vietnam and Singapore. The USA likes that because there is no political opposition in Japan that will break the bond between the USA and Japan aka an empire to a client state.