Japan opposition alliance formalizes split plan after merger talks fail

TOKYO - Japan's main opposition party, the Centrist Reform Alliance, formalized its plan to split on Wednesday, with its members to leave based on their prior affiliations with its two founding parties after talks on a full merger collapsed. Lawmakers formerly belonging to the Komeito party are set to return to it while those from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan plan to form a new party, the alliance's head Junya Ogawa told reporters in parliament after internal discussions. The CRA will remain in existence with one lawmaker to wind up its affairs after suffering a heavy defeat in the February general election. The split of the party, which was founded in January as a counter to the conservative ruling coalition under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, is likely to strengthen the governing bloc's hand in parliament, where it has a supermajority in the powerful House of Representatives, and weaken an already fragmented opposition camp. Ogawa said the departing groups will seek to form a new parliamentary caucus under a centrist banner for an extraordinary Diet session this fall, in a bid to maintain their position as the largest opposition force in the lower house. "I am extremely sorry we were unable to achieve the one-party merger that was our primary objective," Ogawa said. He likened the new structure to a unicycle becoming a bicycle, adding the parties will "pursue the summit we originally set our sights on."

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Region

Hokkaido, Japan

Published

10 Sep 2026

Languages

English