Constitutional Democratic Party & Communists To Cooperate In Next Parliamentary Election

Japan's main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) and the Communist Party (CP) announced that they reached agreement to collaborate in the next House of Representatives election, which will take place in October 2025 at the latest. The two parties will now enter negotiations on the details of their cooperation in single-seat constituencies.

• The agreement marks a break with the isolation of the CP by other opposition parties, including the CDP under the leadership of Kenta Izumi, who only a few months back signalled that he had no plans to join forces with any other party. The latest agreement might be a case of a political marriage of convenience, with both the CDP and CP struggling to pose a threat to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and facing the rise of the right-wing Nippon Ishin no Kai party as a major opposition force.
• Still, the decision to collaborate with the Communist Party may provoke some backlash among CDP members and supporters. National trade union federation RENGO's leader recently stated that she would not endorse CDP candidates if the party collaborates with the CP, which raises the prospect of a further rift between the main opposition party and its traditional ally.
• RENGO's Tomoko Yoshino spoke emboldened by her recent re-election to the position of the leader of Japan's largest labour organisation during a convention attended by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The Premier's presence at the event and the contents of his speech market an escalation of efforts to expand the LDP's electoral base by reaching out to the workers amid pressure from the right wing Nippon Ishin.
• This comes as the approval ratings of the Kishida Cabinet are at all-time lows, while the LDP lost one of two seats up for grabs in parliamentary by-elections held on Sunday, with an opposition-backed independent candidate capturing the Tokushima-Kochi seat. There has been speculation that the outcome of the by-elections makes it even more difficult for Kishida to call a snap election.