Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi with Shunichi Suzuki, left, secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, and LDP Vice President Taro Aso on Jan. 6, the party’s first day of work for the new year (Takeshi Iwashita)

The Liberal Democratic Party, aiming to stabilize its governing base, is stepping up overtures to the opposition Democratic Party for the People to expand the ruling coalition, but the hurdles remain high.

LDP Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki suggested that a three-party framework including the DPP would be preferable to the current ruling coalition between the LDP and Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party).

“If I were to state my personal hope, political stability would be firmly established if we could form a ‘three-party coalition,’” Suzuki told a news conference on Jan. 6.

The ruling camp is six seats short of a majority in the Upper House, although it has secured a majority in the more powerful Lower House.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the LDP president, also extended an olive branch to the DPP at a news conference the previous day, saying that in managing her administration, she will “call for cooperation from opposition parties, starting with the DPP.”

Nevertheless, there is a strong sense within the administration that expanding the coalition will not be easy.

The DPP has deepened ties with the ruling bloc through policy consultations and shown willingness to cooperate on passing the initial budget for the next fiscal year.

Even so, LDP and DPP incumbents would face off against one another in multiple constituencies.

It also remains unclear whether Nippon Ishin would agree to such an arrangement.

That said, Suzuki is the brother-in-law of LDP Vice President Taro Aso, who served as the conduit to the DPP when the party explored a coalition during the Kishida administration.

“He must have a good sense of where things stand,” a senior LDP official said.

At a news conference on Jan. 4, DPP leader Yuichiro Tamaki said the agreement to raise the income tax threshold that he reached with Takaichi last year means that “future collaboration will broaden in both scope and depth.”

However, many within the party, which has only 52 lawmakers across both Diet chambers, are opposed to joining a coalition at this stage due to fears of being overshadowed by the LDP.

Furthermore, Rengo (Japanese Trade Union Confederation), which backs both the DPP and the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, opposes any coalition with the LDP.

Rengo President Tomoko Yoshino cautioned the DPP against drawing closer to the LDP.

“It is essential to maintain a structure that confronts the administration from the standpoint of the opposition,” Yoshino told a news conference on Jan. 5.

A mid-ranking DPP member said, “We will be marginalized the moment we join a coalition. They are persistent precisely because we are just out of reach.”

(This article was written by Kohei Morioka and Yuki Minami.)

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