Politics Former union head urges CDP and DPP to merge

[thomas]

I recently discussed this very issue with my wife, wondering why the Japanese main opposition parties, the CDP (Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan 立憲民主党 Rikken-minshutō) and the DPP (Democratic Party For the People 国民民主党 Kokumin Minshu-tō) haven't merged into one party to challenge the LDP rule effectively. I strongly agree with this suggestion.

Koga Nobuaki, 72, was a former trade union (Rngo) chief selected by the Japanese government on Sunday to receive the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun. He previously led the country's umbrella organization for labour unions when the Democratic Party of Japan, the predecessor of two current parties, held power. In a recent interview, Koga Nobuaki expressed that the separation of the CDP and the DPP was illogical and that they should unite. He urged CDP leader Noda Yoshihiko to make concessions to DPP leader Tamaki Yuichiro. Koga, who served as Rengo chief from 2009 to 2015 during the DPJ-led government, acknowledged Rengo's strong desire to change power from the LDP. However, he criticized the DPJ's naive approach to governance.

Both the CDP and the DPP made great strides in the Oct. 27 election for the House of Representatives. Koga said that Noda's decision to take a centrist approach and not to cooperate with the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) enabled the CDP to gather anti-LDP votes. "(The CDP) had been too close to the JCP before," Koga said, adding that the CDP's latest electoral success was the "Noda effect. Meanwhile, the former Rengo head expressed a negative view toward Noda's calls for opposition parties to vote for him when a new prime minister is elected in the upcoming special parliamentary session. "There is no way that party leaders would heed such sudden calls," he said. The CDP as a whole "lacks people who can bolster ties with other parties behind closed doors," he added. Koga also slammed Tamaki over the DPP's past decision to vote in support of a government budget bill under the administration of former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, saying; "It is an act that fully affirms the administration. It's inconceivable." However, Koga said that the CDP should give in, noting that Tamaki is sticking to his basic policies over nuclear power, national security and the Constitution. "It is the ironclad rule of organizations that the bigger group makes concessions when cooperating," he added. Regardless of whether the CDP and the DPP merge, "They should at least field unified candidates for single-seat constituencies in next summer's election for the House of Councilors," Koga said, expressing hope that Noda will spearhead such efforts.

Former Rengo head Koga urges CDP and DPP to merge

Koga's tenure as Rengo chief between 2009 and 2015 overlapped with the 2009-2012 DPJ-led administration.

www.japantimes.co.jp