When the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) and Komeito announced their plan to form a new centrist party ¡ª called the Centrist Reform Alliance (CRA) ¡ª they described it as an offensive strategy to fight against the conservative ruling coalition.
¡°We want to win by cornering the current administration,¡± said CDP leader Yoshihiko Noda on Thursday. ¡°The union of centrist forces is important for today¡¯s Japan in fighting against the rightwing shift and chest-thumping talk in politics.¡±
But in reality, the two parties were on defense. They were struggling with declining support rates and shrinking voter base, and a political realignment in which the Japan Innovation Party (JIP) switched places with Komeito as a ruling coalition partner ¡ª and then a surprise announcement of a snap election caught them off guard.
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