Yoshihiko Noda, 68, leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), appeared on Fuji Television’s “Sunday News THE PRIME” (7:30 PM, Sunday) broadcast on October 12. He called for cooperation among the opposition parties in the LDP presidential election (to be announced on October 22 and held on October 4). [Photos] Shocking! Kōmeitō announces that it will leave the coalition government with the LDP. The Komeito party has announced that it will not vote for LDP President Sanae Takaichi in the prime ministerial nomination election, and if the opposition parties work together, the possibility of a change of government has emerged. The Ritto Min has identified Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the People’s Democratic Party of Japan, as a “strong candidate” for a united opposition. Asked about this move again on the same day, Noda said, “Mr. Tamaki is a strong choice. Naturally, Mr. Fujita (Fumitake Fujita, co-chairman of the Restoration Association of Japan) is also a candidate. This is also a target. The first, second, and third opposition parties. If we add them up, it is possible to surpass the LDP’s 196 seats. If possible, I am calling on all parties to pool their wisdom in order to seize this opportunity. Regarding the 1993 Hosokawa coalition cabinet, he said, “Eight parties got together to form the coalition cabinet. The DPJ came to power in 2009, but we only had a chance to replace the LDP once every decade or so,” he said. However, if we have a chance to win the next general election, the best course of action is to win the next general election, but if we add up the results, we may be able to win the top position. I am now urging them to come to the table. Toru Hashimoto, former governor of Osaka Prefecture, mayor of Osaka City, and lawyer, said, “I think that Mr. Noda, the National Democratic Party of Japan, and the Restoration Association share the same basic ideas in the area of national security. I think there are people in the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan whose views are definitely incompatible with those of the KDP and the Restoration Association. Just as Komeito made a major decision this time, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan will sort that out. Tamaki also said that we need to unify our basic policies in the area of security, so I think we need to make a serious decision to reorganize the DPJ. I questioned him. Noda replied, “Those parties are different. Their policies are not all the same. You can’t have it all. The program aired a VTR of Tamaki’s remarks. Tamaki said, “It is a serious matter to be in power and to serve as the prime minister, so I am grateful that the Rikken Democratic Party of Japan has asked me to join them, but if that is the case, I would like to see the party unify its security and energy policies in a way that is consistent with our party’s thinking. He added, “President Trump is coming at the end of the month, right? So can we do this or can we have mutual defense cooperation? Or can we cooperate in mutual defense cooperation? You can’t say, “No, we can’t do that because the current law is against the Constitution. So we have to be more realistic and think seriously about this if we are going to be in power. After watching the VTR, Mr. Noda said, “I understand your opinion,” and then added, “We agreed on the points of agreement on security and energy in writing through the coalition in April. And if there are further points of agreement, I would like to discuss them with a sense of freedom, since I am negotiating on behalf of the VTR. He added, “Of course, Mr. Tamaki, if you are aiming to become prime minister, you must have the capacity to include and summarize various aspects, and I hope that you will be willing to discuss these issues with the necessary room for maneuver. I hope you will join us at the table. When told that the extraordinary session of the Diet could be as short as one week, he said, “We have a limited amount of time, but I would like you to arrive at the table as soon as possible. But I would like to call for an agreement to be reached as soon as possible.
