Photo/Illutration The new executive lineup of Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan poses at the Diet after receiving approval at a general meeting of party lawmakers on Dec. 6. (Koichi Ueda)

Kenta Izumi shook up the leadership lineup of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan on Dec. 6 by appointing an equal number of men and women to its executive board.

Izumi made good on his campaign promise during the party’s leadership election to replace Yukio Edano.

Izumi not only succeeded Edano, but he also dismantled his predecessor’s male-dominated executive board.

The six male and six female executives will be tasked with rebuilding the party for Diet debates and the Upper House election to be held next summer.

Izumi indicated the CDP will try to shed its negative image as a party that simply opposes anything proposed by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

“We will criticize points that deserve criticism, and we will also widely promote our policy proposals,” Izumi said.

He proposed the personnel moves at a general meeting of CDP lawmakers and talked about his party management policy.

The six new executive board members approved on Dec. 6 are: Upper House member Hiroe Makiyama as chairwoman of board meetings; Upper House member Shunichi Mizuoka as chairman of the CDP’s Upper House caucus; Upper House member Saori Yoshikawa as chairwoman of the party’s organizing committee; Lower House member Yasuko Komiyama as liaison chairwoman for businesses and organizations; Upper House member Masayo Tanabu as deputy manager of the networking office; and Lower House member Akiko Okamoto as deputy manager of the office for gender equality promotion.

Chinami Nishimura had earlier been named secretary-general of the party. Yuichi Goto was appointed board room chief.

Half of the new executives were involved in Izumi’s campaign in the CDP’s presidential election.

Izumi and other executive board members visited other parties on Dec. 6.

For the first time since becoming CDP leader, Izumi met with Kazuo Shii, head of the Japanese Communist Party.

In discussing the policy speech given by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in the Diet, Izumi said, “We would like to share issues (with the JCP) over (Kishida’s) policies.”

Shii alluded to the CDP’s image of just criticizing and doing nothing, saying to Izumi, “Criticism is inextricably linked to proposals.”

The alliance formed between the CDP and the JCP under Edano’s leadership sparked criticism from Rengo (Japan Trade Union Confederation), the CDP’s main support group.

Izumi had said the CDP would reconsider that alliance, but the topic was not discussed by the two party leaders on Dec. 6.

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