The Centrist Reform Alliance, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito on Thursday agreed that the three opposition parties should establish a new political structure before a expected parliamentary session in the fall.?
Their secretaries-general met to begin discussions on a possible three-way merger. The parties will continue to meet roughly once a week to work on details.
¡°We will aim to enter this autumn¡¯s extraordinary Diet session under a new structure,¡± CRA Secretary-General Takeshi Shina told reporters after the meeting. ¡°It would be ideal if we could narrow down our options before the current special Diet session ends.¡±
Also speaking to reporters, Komeito Secretary-General Makoto Nishida said, ¡°We agreed to participate in the extraordinary Diet session under the new political structure,¡± a sentiment that was echoed by CDP Secretary-General Masayo Tanabu.
The leaders of the three parties agreed on Friday to start discussions on the possible merger. They reaffirmed that they will discuss three key issues: organizational structure, policies and elections. The CRA and Komeito hope to outline the direction of the merger as early as this month, though some in the CDP remain cautious about the plan.
The focus in the near term will be on how far the three can bridge their differences through further discussions.
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