It was a little more than two weeks ago that the Centrist Reform Alliance (CRA) was officially launched, a strategic marriage to form a viable opposition party against Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi¡¯s Liberal Democratic Party in the Lower House election.
The irony is that it had the complete opposite effect. Voters were unsure how the phrase ¡°centrist¡± would translate into actual policies that differed from those of the LDP. The result was a devastating defeat in Sunday¡¯s election, in which the allied Komeito and Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) lost more than two-thirds of the 167 seats that they previously held in the 465-seat chamber.
Now, the party is faced with picking up the broken pieces and recovering from the loss ¡ª starting with a change in leadership.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.