Centrist Reform Alliance co-leaders Yoshihiko Noda and Tetsuo Saito on Sunday signaled their resolve to keep their fledgling party together following a devastating election defeat that could force their resignations. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/08/japan/politics/cra-cdp-lose/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #cra #cdp #komeito #yoshihikonoda #tetsuosaito #2026lowerhouseelection
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has energized voters and strengthened the LDP ahead of a snap election, but her inexperience and ties to the Shinzo Abe faction pose risks for governance and public trust. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/editorials/2026/02/06/takaichi-ldp-poised-for-big-win/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #editorials #sanaetakaichi #ldp #jip #cra #cdp #komeito #shinzoabe #shigeruishiba #upperhouse #lowerhouse #2026lowerhouseelection
The new opposition centrist force that was supposed to upend Japan’s political calculus isn’t gaining any ground. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/04/japan/how-unpredictable-is-the-snap-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #ldp #cdp #komeito #cra #dpp #sanseito #jip #china #us #indopacific #eastasia #senkakus #xijinping #sanaetakaichi #2026lowerhouseelection #nipponishinnokai #diet
Electoral candidates in a Hokkaido district are braving the cold to get their messages out before the Feb. 8 election. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/03/japan/politics/hokkaido-4-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #cra #ldp #sanseito #cdp #komeito #hokkaido #2026lowerhouseelection #sanaetakaichi #nuclearenergy #energy #restarts
Japan’s Feb. 8 snap election is less about short-term politics than a pivotal choice among competing coalition paths that will determine whether the country can adapt its domestic politics to shifting voter behavior. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/03/japan/where-japan-goes-from-here/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #ldp #jip #cdp #komeito #cra #dpp #sanseito #china #unitedstates #indopacific #eastasia #senkakuislands #xijinping #sanaetakaichi #2026lowerhouseelection
For the fourth time, two candidates in Tokyo with the surname Suzuki will be fighting for a seat in parliament, this time in the Feb. 8 Lower House election. But a party change could give a needed edge to one of them. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/01/japan/politics/reportage-tokyo-10th-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #cra #komeito #cdp #sanseito #dpp #jcp #tokyo #sokagakkai #2026lowerhouseelection
The political parties joining forces to form the the Centrist Reform Alliance are neither centrist nor true reformers. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/01/27/japan/japans-new-centrist-reform-alliance/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #centristreformalliance #cra #komeito #cdp #ldp #sanaetakaichi #tetsuosaito #dpj #yurikokoike #partyofhope #jip #sanseito #rengo #sokagakkai #dpp
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has fended off criticism over her goals for Japan’s Feb. 8 snap election, arguing that the ruling coalition’s razor-thin majority in the Lower House made it difficult to pass bills. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/26/japan/politics/jnpc-debate-takaichi-noda/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #cra #nipponishinnokai #komeito #cdp #sanaetakaichi #yoshihikonoda #2026lowerhouseelection
Voter reactions varied to candidates of the new Centrist Reform Alliance as they stumped for the Feb. 8 election. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/25/japan/politics/japan-new-centrist-party-voter-reaction/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #cra #2026lowerhouseelection #yoshihikonoda #cdp #komeito
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is calling a snap election to seek a popular mandate for her leadership, but faces major challenges from opposition turnout machines and possible weak coordination within her own coalition. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/01/20/japan/takaichi-election-announcement/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #ldp #sanaetakaichi #2026lowerhouseelection #komeito #jip #cdp
The Centrist Reform Alliance (CRA) — a new party formed by the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito — announced its basic policies and party platform on Monday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/19/japan/politics/cra-policies-security-energy/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #cra #2026lowerhouseelection #komeito #cdp #junazumi #tetsuosaito #henoko #futenma #okinawa #sanaetakaichi #sanseito
Japan's opposition politics remain fragmented as Komeito and the CDP merge to form a new party, despite policy divides and a history of electoral struggles. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/01/18/japan/japans-rare-snap-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #sanaetakaichi #ldp #komeitolowerhouse #komeito #cdp #centristreformalliance #cra #tetsuosaito #yoshihikonoda #sokagakkai #ccp #aeon #china #shinzoabe #fumiokishida #shigeruishiba #jip
Ruling and opposition parties clashed during a Sunday debate, a day ahead of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s widely expected announcement of a February snap election. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/18/japan/politics/japan-political-parties-tug-of-war/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #lowerhouse #ldp #jip #komeito #cdp #centristreformalliance #diet #sanaetakaichi
Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the main opposition CDP, is likely to be the prime minister candidate of the Centrist Reform Alliance, the new party jointly formed by the CDP and Komeito. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/17/japan/politics/noda-pm-candidate-centrist-reform-alliance/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #yoshihikonoda #cra #cdp #komeito #ldp #diet #lowerhouse #sanaetakaichi #nipponishin
The formation of a new party by the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito has the Liberal Democratic Party concerned, particularly over the fortunes of lawmakers who used to benefit from Komeito support. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/16/japan/politics/ldp-reaction-cra/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #suzukishunichi #itsunorionodera #komeito #cdp #sokagakkai
The CDP and Komeito’s formation of a new centrist party is a bid for survival as the political landscape shifts ahead of a surprise snap election. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/16/japan/politics/why-cdp-komeito-new-party/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #cdp #komeito #yoshihikonoda #tetsuosaito #ldp #nipponishin
As talk of a snap election next month grows, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito have agreed to work toward creating a new centrist political opposition force. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/13/japan/politics/cdp-komeito-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #cdp #komeito #yoshihikonoda #tetsuosaito
The Liberal Democratic Party’s Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki said having the Democratic Party for the People join the ruling bloc would help achieve “political stability.” https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/07/japan/politics/dpp-ldp-rengo/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #dpp #ldp #nipponishinnokai #rengo #tomokoyoshino #unions #yuichirotamaki #shunichisuzuki #cdp #yoshihikonoda #sanaetakaichi
The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan plans to compile as early as this spring a new perspective on the country’s security legislation in a bid to join forces with its peers in the opposition. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/05/japan/politics/cdp-perspective-security-legislation/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #cdp #ldp #defense #constitution
After more than three decades, there is a growing debate in parliament about returning the current Lower House electoral system to what it once was. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/02/japan/politics/election-system/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #diet #lowerhouse #ldp #nipponishinnokai #dpp #cdp