The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan’s leader pledged to forge election cooperation with other opposition parties, but some would-be partners raised immediate doubts about the feasibility of this idea.

Even members of the CDP, the main opposition party, were skeptical of this familiar plan.

The long-struggling CDP wants to turn around its fortunes in Lower House by-elections in April and build momentum for next Lower House election due in 2025 at the latest.

“We aim to create a society that supports each other and recognizes diversity,” Kenta Izumi, the CDP president, said at the party’s annual convention held at a Tokyo hotel on Feb. 19. “Let’s unite our hearts and work together for a change of government.”

The CDP adopted an action plan for fiscal 2023 that includes a policy to deepen cooperation with other opposition parties to square off against the Kishida administration.

However, its relationship with Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party) is uncertain.

Izumi emphasized that the CDP’s tie-up with Nippon Ishin is “an accomplishment that will remain in the history of the Diet.” He also noted that the two parties worked together to pass a bill to support victims of the Unification Church’s dodgy sales and donation-collection campaigns.

One problem for the CDP in its cooperation plan is that it seems to need Nippon Ishin more than the Osaka-based party needs the CDP.

The CDP lost seats in both chambers of the Diet in the last two national elections. Nippon Ishin has increased and widened its power and is now the second largest party in the opposition camp.

“We will deepen ‘policy-based cooperation’ with each party,” Izumi said.

But that plan could be another barrier to the cooperation sought by Izumi, who made it clear that he leads the opposition camp.

The CDP, which tends to be liberal, wants to appeal to conservative voters who support Nippon Ishin.

However, the two parties are divided in their views on the Constitution and national security.

Nippon Ishin, which favors constitutional revision, joined the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in calling for an early convening of the Lower House Commission on the Constitution.

But the CDP opposed convening the commission when the Diet is deliberating the fiscal 2023 draft budget.

The commission is expected to meet on March 2 for the first time during the current Diet session.

“If discussions on constitutional revision are hampered, we will have to rethink our cooperation with (the CDP),” Nobuyuki Baba, the head of Nippon Ishin, said.

The two parties both oppose the government’s planned tax hikes to cover rising defense spending, but they are split over how to strengthen security.

Some CDP members simply do not want to work together with Nippon Ishin.

At a meeting held by two liberal groups on Feb. 9, some members said, “It would be difficult to explain to voters the significance of the CDP’s tie-up with Nippon Ishin.”

A middle-ranking lawmaker who attended the meeting does not see the two parties cooperating in elections.

“The cooperation will come to a standstill,” the lawmaker said.

A senior Nippon Ishin official echoed that view.

The tie-up is limited to some policies in the Diet, and there will be “no electoral cooperation,” the official said.

The CDP also appears unlikely to gain election cooperation from the Democratic Party for the People.

Both parties have received support from Rengo (Japanese Trade Union Confederation).

However, the DPP has not joined the CDP’s framework of uniting the opposition camp to gain control of the government. Instead, the DPP has cooperated with the ruling coalition through discussions on realizing shared policies.

CDP Secretary-General Katsuya Okada said at the convention that the two parties should unite, but he acknowledged that momentum is poor.

In about two months, four Lower House by-elections will be held.

Of these, the CDP is placing the most importance on winning the seat for the Chiba No. 5 district, where an LDP lawmaker resigned over a financial scandal.

The CDP wanted the opposition parties to back one unified candidate to improve the chances of defeating the ruling coalition candidate.

But the field is now crowded. In addition to the CDP, Nippon Ishin, the DPP and the Japanese Communist Party each plan to field candidates.

(This article was written by Shohei Sasagawa and Tomoya Takaki.)