Yoshihiko Noda won the presidency of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan on promises to shift the main opposition party toward centrist conservatism, but that move could alienate its traditional support base.

The plans of Noda, 67, who served as prime minister from 2011 to 2012, could also hinder the CDP’s election cooperation with the Japanese Communist Party and other opposition parties.

However, enough members of the CDP, which has long struggled to loosen the Liberal Democratic Party’s grip on power, were willing to give Noda a chance to turn around the party.

He won the presidential election on Sept. 23 in a runoff against Yukio Edano, 60, a former party president. Incumbent CDP leader Kenta Izumi, 50, and Lower House member Harumi Yoshida, 52, were eliminated from contention after the first round of voting.

“Let’s unite our party to bring down the LDP and take power,” Noda said in his victory speech.

Noda was the last prime minister under the government led by the now-defunct Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ).

The DPJ was ousted from power after it was crushed by the LDP in the 2012 Lower House election, which was called by Noda himself.

During the CDP leadership race, Noda campaigned on the message that the party is “on the eve of a change of government.”

Although he refers to himself as an “old name,” he has strong name recognition.

Some CDP voters said his prominence and push for moderate conservatism will help the party in the next general election.

A nationwide poll conducted by The Asahi Shimbun about a week before the CDP election showed that 29 percent of respondents viewed Noda as the most suitable candidate for party leader. Edano was picked by 15 percent.

Noda has recently been increasing his presence on the political stage. He gave a tribute to the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and has engaged in heated Diet debate on political reform.

Noda also appears to have been helped by the LDP’s own leadership election scheduled for Sept. 27.

On Sept. 12, the first day of official campaigning for the LDP race, candidates, including former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, 43, mentioned the possibility of an early dissolution of the Lower House and a snap election.

A middle-ranking Lower House member from Noda’s campaign office said the former prime minister should be the party’s “face” for such an election.

“Everyone knows who can lead us more effectively in the Lower House election,” the lawmaker said.

Noda’s shift toward the center includes an emphasis on the need for “U.S. commitment to East Asia” in foreign and security policies.

He aims to attract moderate conservative voters who have distanced themselves from the LDP over the political fund scandal involving its factions. He also suggested partnering with conservative forces.

On electoral cooperation with other opposition parties, Noda stressed he would work toward a close, dialogue-based partnership centered on the Democratic Party for the People, as well as Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party).

Noda’s centrist conservative approach stems from lessons learned in the 2021 Lower House election and the Tokyo gubernatorial race this summer.

In the 2021 election, the CDP agreed with the JCP on limited cooperation from outside the Cabinet.

The CDP and four other opposition parties―the JCP, the DPP, Reiwa Shinsengumi and the Social Democratic Party―fielded unified candidates in 217 electoral districts.

The LDP and Nippon Ishin ridiculed this strategy, labeling the CDP as “the Constitutional Communist Party of Japan” and “the election mutual aid association.”

While the CDP added nine seats in single-seat constituencies, it lost 22 seats in the proportional representation segment.

Overall, the party ended up with 96 seats, a decrease of 13 from its pre-election strength.

In the Tokyo gubernatorial election in July, Renho, a former Upper House member, ran as a candidate supported by the CDP and the JCP. Noda also gave a speech in support of Renho.

But she placed a disappointing third, well behind winner Yuriko Koike and runner-up Shinji Ishimaru, a newcomer with no party affiliation.

“As the (Renho) campaign put too much emphasis on cooperation with the JCP, unaffiliated voters cast their ballots for Ishimaru,” a senior CDP member said.

Noda now wants to appeal to those unaffiliated voters, especially moderate conservatives.

Another veteran CDP member attributed Noda’s victory to the “sense of stability” that comes from his experience as prime minister.

“The party has been leaning too far to the left, but under Noda, it will likely return to a more centrist position, much like during the DPJ period,” the member said.

A number of politicians bolted from the DPJ and joined Koike’s Party of Hope. But the Tokyo governor rejected liberal lawmakers who opposed her stance on constitutional revision and security legislation.

This led Edano to establish the CDP in 2017, and liberal lawmakers joined him. The party was later dissolved and re-established into its current form in 2020.

Noda’s current approach goes against the foundations of the CDP. He was an independent lawmaker who joined the party only after the re-establishment.

And he may not have enough support within the party to accomplish a shift from the left. In the run-off, Noda secured 72 votes, narrowly defeating Edano, who garnered 63.

Liberal lawmakers who have belonged to the party since its establishment expressed concern.

“The liberal spirit of the party might be abandoned under Noda’s leadership,” one of them said.

(This article was written by Nozomi Matsui, Kei Kobayashi and Takahiro Okubo.)