Yukio Edano, the former leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), has announced his candidacy for the upcoming party leadership election. The campaign is set to begin on September 7th, with voting scheduled for September 23rd.
Edano’s extensive political experience, including founding the predecessor of the CDPJ in 2017, has raised expectations among some party members. However, there is also criticism over the party’s defeat in the recent House of Representatives election under Edano’s leadership. It remains uncertain whether he will be able to expand his support within the CDPJ.
During a news conference on Wednesday, Edano expressed his desire for new politics and stated that the CDPJ needs to evolve into a party that can replace the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and meet public expectations.
One of Edano’s major support bases is Sanctuary, a group within the CDPJ and currently its largest group. Some Sanctuary members believe that Edano has more substance than current party head Kenta Izumi due to his political career as chief cabinet secretary under the now-defunct Democratic Party of Japan.
The CDPJ suffered a loss of 14 seats in this year’s lower house election during Edano’s leadership. This was partly attributed to their agreement with the Japan Communist Party (JCP) regarding cooperation if there was a change in administration. Critics argue that this limited cooperation negatively impacted their performance.
At Wednesday’s news conference, Edano emphasized reorganizing cooperative relationships among political parties but denied working with other parties nationwide. He also avoided discussing his “zero nuclear power” policy out of consideration for affiliated lawmakers and organizations like Rengo (Japanese Trade Union Confederation).
Edano faces challenges in gaining support within his own party. During the press conference, he did not confirm whether he had secured enough nominations from at least 20 members required to run in the presidential race.
Meanwhile, Sumio Mabuchi, a former minister responsible for land, infrastructure, transport and tourism within CDPJ ranks declared his intention to run as well after receiving requests from four lower house members and others at Diet Building on Wednesday.
Mabuchi stated that he would carefully consider these requests before making a final decision about running in this crucial election for CDPJ leadership.