As Opposition Eyes LDP Challenge, DPP Leader Refuses to Bend on Security and Energy

このページを 日本語 で読む

On October 13, Democratic Party for the People (DPP) leader Yuichiro Tamaki took to X (formerly Twitter) to reaffirm his political principles. "Neither I, Yuichiro Tamaki, nor the Democratic Party for the People will ever bend our core policies merely to pursue the prime minister's post," he declared.

His comments came amid reports that executives in the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) had floated Tamaki's name as one of several potential unified opposition candidates in the upcoming Diet vote to select Japan's next prime minister. However, Tamaki has made clear that cooperation with the CDP would be difficult, citing deep policy divisions, particularly over national security and energy.

The CDP is reportedly seeking a three-way meeting with Nippon Ishin no Kai and the DPP as early as October 14. But Tamaki pushed back on X, warning that "I hear there are voices within the CDP calling on the DPP to make policy concessions," a remark that made clear his refusal to yield on core principles.

CDP Pressed to Confront Security Realities

On October 12, CDP leader Yoshihiko Noda told reporters that Tamaki's insistence on aligning the CDP with the DPP's security policies struck him as "a bit too high-handed."

Tamaki swiftly responded on X, rejecting the criticism as misguided. National security, he wrote, "is one of the nation's core principles, directly tied to the lives and property of its people," and "not something to be negotiated or traded away."

He went on to argue that it was up to the CDP to face Japan's changing security realities. "If they truly intend to take on the task of governing," Tamaki said, "they should revise their policies on their own — without waiting for me to point it out." He added that the opposition party must now "demonstrate real resolve and readiness to take power."

The CDP's official platform calls for abolishing what it describes as the "unconstitutional parts" of Japan's national security legislation. However, during debates in the recent Upper House election, Noda avoided clarifying which specific clauses or provisions he considered unconstitutional.

RELATED:

• With Komeito Exit, LDP Can Turn to Parties with Shared Priorities
• Why Give Constitutional Reform Work to a Party That's Against It?
  
  
  

Author: The Sankei Shimbun

このページを 日本語 で読む