Japan’s New Party Starts With Zero Support Rating — The Japan Times

In Japan, the newly formed Democratic Reform Party, which includes 18 lawmakers, held its first meeting and announced its leadership lineup ahead of the autumn parliamentary session. At the same time, surveys by the Yomiuri Shimbun and Nikkei newspapers last week recorded zero support for the political force, The Japan Times reports.

Leadership of the new political force

The party was headed by Junya Ogawa, who previously led the Centrist Reform Alliance. Takeshi Shina was appointed secretary-general, Yuichi Goto became head of parliamentary affairs, and Takayaki Ochiai was named chair of the policy research council.

According to Ogawa, the party seeks to begin practical work despite being a small group. He called on supporters to join in various forms while maintaining unity.

Criticism over state subsidies

The Democratic Reform Party includes lawmakers who left the Centrist Reform Alliance. They came from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and joined the alliance after it was formed in January together with the Komeito party.

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Critics noted that the alliance was not formally dissolved: one lawmaker, So Watanabe, remained in it. This allows the structure to claim more than 1.1 billion yen in state subsidies, approximately $6.9 million. Ogawa explained this by the need to settle unpaid expenses incurred during the February general election.

Ritsumeikan University political scientist Masato Kamikubo believes that this explanation did not convince voters. In his assessment, opposition forces lost trust because of a lack of visible willingness to unite against the Liberal Democratic Party, while voters do not understand why members of the new party could not remain in the alliance if they plan to cooperate.

Japan’s party subsidy system provides funding for election campaigns and the activities of political organizations. Funds are paid in four installments throughout the year, so a party that retains its legal status may receive the remainder of its annual subsidy even after most of its lawmakers leave.