After the electoral defeat, the Liberal Democratic Party began talks with the People’s Democratic Party, led by Yuichiro Tamaki, who is not willing to go beyond external support for the government. The leader of the opposition, Yoshihiko Noda, has also intensified his efforts to obtain transversal support for his candidacy for prime minister, although for the moment this hypothesis is unlikely.
Tokyo (/Agencies) – The Liberal Democratic Party, which for the first time in 15 years is without a majority in the House of Representatives, announced that it had started talks with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to discuss case-by-case support for a series of political measures. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, head of the LDP, announced earlier this week that he was determined to form a minority government so as not to cede the role of prime minister to Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ).
In this context, Yuichiro Tamaki, who heads the PDP, after having more than tripled the seats in Parliament, going from 7 to 28, has been pushed by Ishiba and Noda, as he himself declared during a television broadcast. The results of his party were described as exceptional by commentators, considering that it is a political formation that was born in 2018 and divided just two years later. In 2020, the majority of deputies went to the CDPJ, while a group of 10 members, led by Tamaki, created a centrist party, politically close to the government coalition, but of which they never wanted to be part. According to Tamaki, the DPP’s popularity has grown thanks to an approach focused on “solutions rather than confrontation.”
In recent days the LDP has sought support from opposition parties on the basis of individual policies rather than expanding the coalition, which will continue to include only Komeito, the traditional Buddhist-inspired ally. To that end, the general secretaries of the LDP and PDP began working together this morning to draft a budget for the next fiscal year and try to reduce inflation. Former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, in fact, not only had to face political scandals but also found himself in difficulties in managing the economic crisis that Japan has been going through for some time.
During the election campaign, Tamaki, former Minister of Finance in 1993, had stated that it was necessary to apply economic policies aimed at increasing family income, including increasing the salary threshold to pay taxes, a proposal to which the Government has always been supportive. reluctant for fear that it would not guarantee sufficient tax revenue. “What we want are not positions in ministries, but rather the implementation of the economic policies that the party promised during the elections, such as increasing the net salary and income of citizens,” Tamaki commented.
The number two of the PDP, Kazuya Shimba, rejected the LDP’s proposal to create a coordination commission and announced that the party will discuss the measures on a case-by-case basis. Representatives of Komeito and the PDP are expected to meet tomorrow. At the same time, Hiroshi Moriyama, general secretary of the LDP, announced that in the coming days talks could also begin with the CDPJ and the Innovation Party, the second largest party in Parliament after the LDP, which however passed 43 to 38 seats.
The appointment of the next prime minister will most likely take place on November 11. Although Ishiba has declared that he wants to keep power in the hands of the LDP, Yoshihiko Noda has also intensified his efforts to gain cross-party support for his candidacy for prime minister. The PDP, however, rejected the call for talks on the leadership. The Innovation Party has also not yet indicated whether it will support the candidacy of the CDPJ head, who has so far only received the support of the Communist Party of Japan.
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