Japan Opposition Stepping Up Offensive against Ruling Bloc

Newsfrom Japan

Politics

Jul 28, 2025 15:12 (JST)

Tokyo, July 28 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese opposition camp, which is now the majority force in both chambers of the Diet, the country’s parliament, is poised to step up its offensive against the Liberal Democratic Party-led ruling bloc.

The LDP and its coalition partner, Komeito, gave up their combined House of Councillors majority in the July 20 election for the Diet’s upper chamber, after losing their control of the more powerful House of Representatives in last October’s general election for the Lower House.

Late last week, five opposition parties–the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party), the Democratic Party for the People, Reiwa Shinsengumi and the Japanese Communist Party–agreed to submit a bill to scrap the provisional add-on gasoline tax rate to the extraordinary Diet session set to be convened Friday.

At a meeting of ruling and opposition party chiefs last Friday, Yoshihiko Noda, who heads the CDP, the biggest in the opposition camp, notified Prime Minister and LDP President Shigeru Ishiba that the opposition side is stepping up preparations for the submission of the bill. “I want you to take (the bill) seriously,” Noda told Ishiba.

In talks with reporters after the meeting, DPFP leader Yuichiro Tamaki indicated that it would be best for the add-on tax rate to be scrapped by the end of this year.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]

Jiji Press