New party launched by DP liberal members

October 3, 2017

TOKYO- The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan was launched Tuesday by Yukio Edano, Akira Nagatsuma and four other liberal members of the Democratic Party.

Nagatsuma, former welfare minister, submitted a notification of the party's establishment to the internal affairs minister through the Tokyo metropolitan government's election board in the morning. The notification was accepted.

Edano, former chief cabinet secretary who has submitted a letter showing his decision to leave the DP, became the new party's head.

Hirotaka Akamatsu, former vice speaker of the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of Japan's parliament, is also among the founding members.

The new party is seeking the participation of more liberal members of the DP who are opposed to the party's effective merger into Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike's Kibo no To (Party of Hope).

It has started the work to draw up campaign pledges for the Oct. 22 election of the Lower House and to field candidates for the poll.

"The philosophies and the policies of Kibo no To are different from those of the DP," Edano said in a street speech in the city of Saitama, north of Tokyo. "We don't want to be politicians who compromise on philosophies, policies and principles for the election's sake."

Kiyomi Tsujimoto, former state minister of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism, told a press conference in Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, that she will join the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. Jiji Press