Photo/Illutration Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People, at a news conference on Oct. 29 (Takeshi Iwashita)

The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan wants its leader to be named prime minister and is asking other opposition parties for their support in Diet votes following upheavals in the Oct. 27 Lower House election.

But the Democratic Party for the People spurned the request, which was intended as a show of unity against the severely weakened ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito.

The CDP president, Yoshihiko Noda, on Oct. 30 asked Nobuyuki Baba, leader of Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party), to back him as prime minister in Diet votes during a special session to be convened as early as Nov. 11.

The two Diet chambers vote on who is to be named prime minister within 30 days after every Lower House election. 

The ruling coalition parties are expected to vote for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who took office on Oct. 1, but gained only 215 seats on Oct. 27, 18 short of a majority in the 465-seat lower chamber. 

After his meeting with Noda in the Diet building, Baba indicated that no specific agreement was reached.

“We will continue to discuss the Diet votes on the prime minister and other issues,” Baba said.

The CDP plans to call on Nippon Ishin, the second-largest opposition party, to work with it in promoting political as well as Diet reform.

In the Lower House election, the CDP increased its strength by about 50 percent to 148 seats.

Still, the main opposition party would need 85 more votes for Noda from other opposition parties to name him prime minister in the Lower House with a 233-vote majority.

Noda was scheduled to meet with Tomoko Tamura, chairwoman of the Japanese Communist Party, on Oct. 30.

Noda previously said he intends to seek cooperation from the DPP, Nippon Ishin and the JCP for joint Diet votes on the prime minister.

However, the DPP reaffirmed its policy to vote for its leader, Yuichiro Tamaki, in the special Diet session at a meeting of its executives on Oct. 30.

“We want to communicate with all parties, at an equal distance from each of them, on policy discussions and other issues,” Tamaki told reporters.

Speaking on a TV program on Oct. 29, DPP Secretary-General Kazuya Shinba said Tamaki will not meet with Noda over the CDP’s request for cooperation on the Diet votes.

He said the DPP told the CDP that party lawmakers will cast their votes for Tamaki not only in the first round but also in an expected run-off, which is held between the two top finishers in the first round if no party leader receives a majority of votes.

The DPP plans to consult with the CDP through talks between their secretaries-general and Diet affairs chiefs for the time being.

(This article was written by Takahiro Okubo, Kei Kobayashi and Tsuneo Sasai.)

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