By now, the Centrist Reform Alliance (CRA) was supposed to have merged with the remaining elements of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) and Komeito. But at a meeting on Friday, the head of the CDP told his counterparts in the CRA and Komeito that his party will not proceed with the merger. At a time when Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s approval ratings are trending downward, Japan’s main opposition parties have failed to coalesce and mount a stronger challenge to the ruling coalition.
Instead, the three entities have drifted further apart, revealing what may well be insurmountable obstacles. The outcome of Friday’s meeting was not a surprise, as CDP leader Shunichi Mizuoka has long signaled his reluctance to move forward with the merger. In April, he said he had “no intent to hurry” the process, and last week he told reporters that forming a unified parliamentary group would be an option if the merger failed to materialize.
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