One Step Toward Party Dissolution

President of Democratic Party of Japan, Katsuya Okada, indicated on Saturday that he would include an option to establish a new party with Innovation Party as a strategy to win the election of House of Councillors this summer. While he had been negative to dissolve DPJ to make a greater framework against the leading coalition of Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, Okada could not ignore the pressure inside and outside DPJ to require new political brand. However, no one can be optimistic to the future of the opposite coalition.

New announce of Okada was made in the annual national convention of DPJ in Tokyo. “It is not excluded as an option,” told Okada on the possibility of establishing new party, “and an important point is whether we would be able to share common policy and principle and be successful in seriously forming political power for new administration.”

But, Okada has not been successful in achieving consensus on the course they would take. While Okada has been upholding an idea to establish new political framework through a method like merger and acquisition with Innovation Party, some radical lawmakers in DPJ keep on asserting that it should be done with dissolution of DPJ and Innovation Party and reunion of ambitious lawmakers of both hparties. In other words, it is a struggle between two powers: one is the conservative group who are not feeling easy with obsolete leftists supported by labor union and the other is the centrist group who insist on scale merit.

As always, their internal discussion misses a crucial point. Whether or not they are successful in the merger, both party are not ready for election cooperation. The biggest reason for establishing new party is nothing but accumulating seats in the coming election as many as possible. If they are serious about that, they have already to be making progress in raising common candidate, regardless where party merger goes. In the District of Niigata, four opposite parties are raising each independent candidate for two slots. No compromise can be seen for a mutual victory.

Okada showed his determination by indicating his resignation, if he would not successful in the election. A party leader devoted to fighting against powerful administration would not refer to his resignation. The crucial error of DPJ is that they cannot uphold common cause in their politics, except resentment against LDP. DPJ will not make any difference, even if they change the name of their party.