Photo/Illutration Chinami Nishimura speaks to reporters on Nov. 13 after being selected to head a group within the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. (Nozomi Matsui)

Various groups within the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan are trying to strengthen their positions by “recruiting” rookie Lower House members.

The CDP won 148 seats in the Oct. 27 Lower House election, a 1.5-fold increase over its pre-election presence. And 39 of the CDP candidates won for the first time.

The party’s groups are not as tightly knit as the former factions of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, so it is not uncommon for some CDP lawmakers to join multiple groups.

The CDP’s presidential election in September made clear the importance of having a sizable number of lawmakers in a group.

At a Nov. 13 meeting of the largest CDP group, known as Sanctuary, it was reported that 13 rookie lawmakers had signed up, giving Sanctuary more than 40 members.

The group is seeking to recruit as many as 50 members.

Sanctuary threw its support behind Yukio Edano in the September election, but he fell short to Yoshihiko Noda, a former prime minister, in a runoff vote.

“There is strength in numbers, and we have to voice our views in order to protect the principles that were established when the party was formed,” a Sanctuary member said.

Edano was a key individual in the creation of the CDP and once served as party head.

Also on Nov. 13, Noda attended a gathering of CDP rookie lawmakers.

One Diet member said Noda was attempting to create a group of members who are beholden to him for their electoral success.

On Nov. 11, about 10 new lawmakers attended a meeting held by the group once led by Kenta Izumi, the former party president who came in third behind Noda and Edano in the September election.

Although he was the incumbent, Izumi faced difficulties gathering 20 signatures from fellow lawmakers needed to formally throw his hat into the ring.

The group chose Upper House member Masayo Tanabu as its new leader. She is the first woman to head a major CDP group.

One member said it would be easier to recruit new members with a woman as the group’s leader.

Another female lawmaker, Chinami Nishimura, was chosen to head the group once led by Naoto Kan, another former prime minister who decided not to run for re-election in October and retired.

Nishimura told reporters that she wanted the group to become a model for political activities based on gender balance.

One older lawmaker said rookies should freely participate in meetings of various groups, much like first-year college students attending drinking parties of various clubs before deciding which one to join.

But a newly elected lawmaker said: “I never imagined the first choice would be about which group to join. That decision could affect my lawmaker future.”

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

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