Japan’s main opposition Thursday decided not to run candidates in the upcoming election, effectively joining forces with a new party formed by popular Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike in a bid to topple Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The move capped a stunning few days on Japan’s sleepy political scene
Tokyo (AFP) – Japan’s main opposition Thursday decided not to run candidates in the upcoming election, effectively joining forces with a new party formed by popular Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike in a bid to topple Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The move capped a stunning few days on Japan’s sleepy political scene that has seen the calling of a snap election, the creation of Koike’s dynamic new “Party of Hope” and the effective unification of opposition to Abe’s conservative government.
The centre-left Democratic Party (DP) approved its leader Seiji Maehara’s proposal not to field candidates in the October 22 poll. Members should instead apply to represent Koike’s new group, Maehara said.
“We must stop the Abe government and achieve a change of administration,” said Maehara, a political veteran and former foreign minister.
