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Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is expected to secure enough support to be reelected in parliament despite the election setback after executives of smaller opposition parties announced Thursday that they will not support the country's main opposition leader's bid for the premiership.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan are eager to win the support of smaller opposition parties ahead of next month's parliamentary vote to select the new prime minister, as neither holds a majority in the lower house following Sunday's general election.
The secretary general of the Democratic Party for the People told his LDP counterpart on Thursday that the small opposition party, which saw its seats quadruple in the weekend election, will vote for its leader, Yuichiro Tamaki, during a special parliamentary session, likely starting Nov 11, to select the next prime minister.
The Japan Innovation Party, the second-largest opposition, is also unlikely to vote for the CDPJ chief Yoshihiko Noda, a party executive said.
For either Ishiba or Noda to be elected prime minister, they must secure majority support. If neither achieves this threshold, the vote will proceed to a runoff, where the candidate with the most votes will be appointed to the position.
The coalition of the LDP and the Komeito party has 215 seats, 18 short of the majority line of 233 in the powerful House of Representatives, while the CDPJ has 148. The DPP won 28 and the JIP 38.
The DPP told the LDP in the secretary general meeting that it will vote for Tamaki in all votes, which would benefit the ruling party if Ishiba and Noda compete in a runoff.
Japan was plunged into political uncertainty after the ruling bloc's crushing defeat, less than a month after Ishiba took office.
The LDP and the DPP are exploring ways to promote policy coordination.
LDP Secretary General Hiroshi Moriyama called on his DPP counterpart Kazuya Shimba to work together to craft a draft supplementary budget for fiscal 2024 to fund inflation relief measures and an initial budget plan for the next fiscal year from April.
While Moriyama proposed setting up a committee to be joined by policy chiefs of both parties for coordination, Shimba said his party would deal with measures on a case-by-case basis, the DPP No. 2 told reporters.
DPP leader Tamaki has advocated boosting people's incomes by raising the salary threshold for paying taxes. However, the government remains reluctant to introduce the step for fear of a possible decrease in tax revenue.
Moriyama told reporters that Shimba said the DPP will positively consider accepting a proposal to hold a meeting between Ishiba and Tamaki.
Ishiba is also scheduled to sit down with JIP leader Nobuyuki Baba next week, according to party officials.
CDPJ chief Noda, who was Japan's prime minister for over a year to December 2012 under the party's predecessor, is also rallying support. "Realistically speaking, it will be difficult to secure the nomination," he told a TV program.
© KYODO
14 Comments
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sakurasuki
Opposition in Japan just can't take advantage from the given votes.
elephant200
Elected and then to be re-elected and so on and on.....endless elections !
Wonderful !
Tokyo Guy
Opposition in Japan just can't take advantage from the given votes.
"Opposition in Japan" is pretty close to an oxymoron.
ebisen
If you were ever wondering why can't the opposition ever do better: because the lack the IQ for it and drop every chance they have ;) . It would have been a good opportunity to make history, but you need grown-ups for that...
The Nomad
So the opposition supporting the sitting PM. What do they oppose then exactly? As a voter of the opposition party I would be pretty pissed that my opposing vote isn't an opposition vote after all
Sh1mon M4sada
Just get on with it already, a majority of the smaller parties are ex LDP or very aligned with conservatism any way. On top of this the LDP won the most seats.
Sure the LDP lost the most seats also, but that is more a reflection on Ishiba as leader and not so much LDP scandal. A majority of slushfund candidates actually won their seats. If there is something that must be done, it's to ditch Ishiba, someone has to face the heat.
obladi
Sure he can split the opposition. But can he lead?
isabelle
Not really. The main opposition is the CDP, and they don't support the sitting PM. Noda is running against Ishiba.
The LDP won the most seats, and is trying to build support to govern. Perhaps (probably?) they will govern without a majority then, if it doesn't work, call another election in the relatively near future. The people will then get the chance to choose again, and it could well lead to a CDP government.
That's the way it works both in Japan (though rare) and in other countries.
Sh1mon M4sada
Yes, the LDP should just get on with it, a minority government but with 'likeminded' minor parties is not bad. I just hope if an election is called Ishiba is not the leader, given how disastrous it has been with him at the helm, even worse than the last time the LDP lost power.
Japan is emerging from structural impediments, it really need a party majority to bring on changes to entrenched issues, like wages, supply chain security etc.
quercetum
There is more value in the culture of maintaining harmony and working together rather than to oppose. Democracy was imposed on the Japanese authoritatively to begin with whether they liked it or not. They had no choice.
Hito Bito
People in the media keep saying DPP "quadrupled" its vote share...while conveniently leaving out the fact that that "massive" increase in seats led the party to score...barely 10% of the total house seats up for grabs? *By the way, by my count, they had 11 seats before the election, and 28 after...how is that "quadrupling" again?
Far from being a "kingmaker" like the left-leaning has been crowing for days now, Tamaki's DPP seems stubbornly happy to keep the crown on the reigning king's head, and that is none other than Mr. "Lost The Majority" Ishiba.
According to my count, and correct me if I'm wrong, but it would take literally every party not presently in the ruling coalition (non-LDP, non Komeito) to agree just to barely scrape up a highly unstable majority of...5? And that's if you lump parties like the "right wing and conservative" Ishin Party, the "rightwing populist" Sanseito, and the "ultranationalist and rightwing populist" Conservative party in with the Communists and "leftwing populaist" Reiwa party. In other words...it's a pipe dream concocted by fantasizing leftleaning journalists born out of desperation, and it ain't gonna fly in the real world.
The REAL "kingmaker" (and it's obvious why the media would never say this, given the role of the Isshin party in wiping out the leftist CDPs hopes of ever having its own majority thanks to Kansai voters) is...Baba Nobuyuki.
Sh1mon M4sada
Ishii, leader of Komeito has resigned to account for lost seats. Obviously has more self awareness than Ishiba.
Sven Asai
This only additionally underlines that they belong there.
iron man
Democratic govs should have a 'harmony' that accepts all the views of the elected officials, I Dislike this opposition tag. Communication with all reps allocated podium time when rightfully requested. Pls do not reference UK, where chancellor faces to opposition to announce budgie. all duly elected officials are equal??