Top Japanese opposition party's No. 2 to stay in post after merger

Tetsuro Fukuyama, the secretary general of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, which recently merged with a smaller party, is set to stay on as the No. 2 of the country’s biggest opposition force, its leader said Monday.

Yukio Edano, who was elected chief of the new main opposition party last week, said he has also selected Kenta Izumi from the merged Democratic Party for the People as the policy chief of the new CDP, which will hold a convention Tuesday.

Edano defeated Izumi in the leadership election last week of the party formed through the merger with the DPP.

Speaking to reporters, Edano said he has picked Hirofumi Hirano, the secretary general of the DPP, as election strategy chief and the CDP’s Diet affairs chief Jun Azumi for the same position in the new party.

Edano will seek approval of the appointment of new executives at the party convention.

The merger comes as Japan is set to see a new prime minister to succeed Shinzo Abe installed this week.

“I would like to work with people who share (knowledge) and maintain a good balance within the party,” said Edano, who was the chief Cabinet secretary of the now-defunct Democratic Party of Japan when it was in power.

Fukuyama was a deputy chief Cabinet secretary when Edano was serving as the top government spokesman.

The new opposition party will bring together 149 members in both parliamentary chambers from the CDP and the DPP, as well as independent groups.

The ruling LDP, its junior coalition partner Komeito and their supporters hold more than 450 seats in the Diet.

KEYWORDS

diet, Yukio Edano, DPP, cdp, Tetsuro Fukuyama

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