The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito should merge with the Centrist Reform Alliance fully, including at the local level, CRA leader Junya Ogawa said in an interview on Tuesday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/04/03/japan/politics/centrist-reform-alliance-leader-interview/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #cra #junyaogawa #cdp #komeito #ldp
CRA leader Ogawa calls for full merger with CDP and Komeito

'Prolonged stagnation ... could sink them together,' Junya Ogawa said, referring to the three Japanese opposition parties.

The Japan Times
The opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan adopted its fiscal 2026 campaign policy on Sunday, stopping short of specifying when it will decide whether to merge into the Centrist Reform Alliance. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/03/30/japan/cdp-cra-merge-unclear/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #cdp #cra #komeito
CDP stops short of specifying when to merge into CRA

A draft of the CDP's campaign policy had included a plan to make the decision in June 2027, after unified local elections earlier that year.

The Japan Times
Komeito leader Toshiko Takeya has sounded positive on the party's future integration into the Centrist Reform Alliance, a peer in the Japanese opposition camp. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/03/15/japan/politics/komeito-chief-positive-cra-integration/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #komeito #cdp #cra
Komeito chief open to full integration with Centrist Reform Alliance

The CRA currently comprises only lawmakers of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament.

The Japan Times
In an about-face, the Democratic Party for the People says it will join a panel on social security while the Centrist Reform Alliance is also seriously considering it after both parties snubbed its inaugural meeting. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/03/09/japan/politics/consumption-tax-panel-cra-dpp/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #cra #dpp #taxes #consumptiontax #ldp #komeito #cdp #sanseito #jcp
CRA might join national council on consumption tax cut after all

Like the Democratic Party for the People, the party fears the political cost of not taking part in talks over the proposed consumption tax cut for food items.

The Japan Times
Newly elected Centrist Reform Alliance chief Junya Ogawa does not see his party as a brake for the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, but as an entirely separate vehicle altogether. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/19/japan/politics/cra-ogawa-rebuild/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #cra #junyaogawa #2026lowerhouseelection #cdp #komeito
CRA not a brake for LDP-JIP, but ‘an entirely separate vehicle’

Newly elected chief Junya Ogawa continues to tout the main opposition party as an alternative to the ruling coalition despite its recent setback at the ballot box.

The Japan Times
Sanae Takaichi’s election win gives her the political capital to tackle Japan’s voting issues, including religious and union influence, foreign interference and proportional representation flaws. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/18/world/tackling-japans-political-taboos/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #sanaetakaichi #japan #sokagakkai #komeito #ldp #rengo #cdp #china #ccp #diet #cra #jip #dpp #chinajapanrelations
Time for Takaichi to tackle Japan’s political taboos

How Takaichi spends her political capital will define her prime ministership, and she may very well be in a position to finally tackle some unresolved voting issues.

The Japan Times
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s approval rating remained high, at 41%, following its overwhelming victory in the Feb. 8 Lower House election, a recent Nikkei poll survey showed. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/16/japan/politics/ldp-approval-rating/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #sanaetakaichi #dpp #sanseito #cra #komeito #cdp
LDP retains high approval rating post election, Nikkei poll shows

While the Liberal Democratic Party’s high approval ratings continued after its Feb. 8 election win, support for the Democratic Party for the People and Sanseito stayed sluggish.

The Japan Times
After another historic victory, Takaichi takes command

Not only is she the country's first female prime minister and a symbol of a new Japan, her career also marks a break from traditional politics.

The Japan Times
Lower House lawmaker Junya Ogawa was elected leader of the Centrist Reform Alliance on Friday, pledging to strengthen the party’s internal structure after its devastating defeat in Sunday’s election. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/13/japan/politics/cra-leadership-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #junyaogawa #cra #cdp #komeito #2026lowerhouseelection
Junya Ogawa elected leader of Centrist Reform Alliance

The former CDP lawmaker pledged to strengthen the CRA’s internal structure as the party reels from its election defeat.

The Japan Times
From Nagatacho’s corridors to rural paddies and local gyms, elections reveal how quickly fortunes shift. Three campaigns in 15 months showed how fragile support can be — and how national power begins far from Tokyo. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/13/japan/politics/first-person-elections-recollection/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #cra #komeito #cdp #sokagakkai #sanaetakaichi #shigeruishiba #yamagata #amagasaki #wakayama
Looking at politics from a different perspective

Three campaigns in 15 months showed how fragile support can be — and how national power begins far from Tokyo.

The Japan Times