Edano on aims of merged Japan opposition party

Members of an opposition party which lost power and fell apart when Japan's prime minister returned to power eight years ago are reuniting for a national election, though odds are against them.

A 149-member group on Thursday chose Yukio Edano, a lawyer-turned politician, as new leader and decided the party should be named the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the name of the party he previously headed, as two main opposition parties merged.

They are preparing a united front just as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party is set to choose a replacement, after Abe announced his plan to step down due to health reasons.

The new party brings together the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Democratic Party for the People, as well as some independent opposition lawmakers.

It has a combined membership of 149, compared to the LDP's about 400, and will need alliance with other opposition lawmakers to achieve a leadership change.

"We will do our utmost to become an option for a leadership change in the next general election," Edano, who served chief cabinet secretary under the previous government, told a news conference Thursday after becoming head of the new party.

The new opposition party also aims to tackle the economy hit by the coronavirus, end nuclear-dependent energy mix and promote a diverse and gender-equal society with ample government support for the weak and the needy.

The party will be formally launched on September 15, just ahead of Parliament's vote for Japan's new prime minister.

Abe's longtime right-hand man, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, is largely expected to win the presidential race of his party and almost assured to become Japan's next leader.

With Abe's support ratings bouncing back — despite his unpopular coronavirus measures and a series of political scandals — apparently because of voter sympathy for his resignation announcement citing health problems, speculation is mounting for Suga to call for an October election.

A strong showing by the ruling party could increase Suga's chance of going for a full three-year term rather than serving one-year caretaker for Abe's remaining term through September, 2021.

Edano's new party still faces a tough test.

Support for LDP rose to 43% from 32%, compared to 3.5% for Edano's Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, according to recent TBS News survey.

Abe is Japan's longest-serving prime minister since he returned to power in December 2012.