On Oct. 14, Democratic Party leader Seiji Maehara emphasized again his plan to seek a merger with the Party of Hope. From the DP, several Upper House members are seeking to be reunited with the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) while keeping their party membership. On this, Maehara said, “This would totally make fools of voters.”

Maehara noted that “as party leader, I want to create a big force that is not aligned with the Liberal Democratic Party or the Japanese Communist Party,” expressing his wariness that some UH members in the DP and local organizations are approaching the CDPJ, which allies with the JCP in the upcoming race. He was in Saitama Prefecture speaking to the press.  

Meanwhile, CDPJ leader Yukio Edano stressed that he has no plan to reunite with the DP. “We are moving forward under a new banner and are not looking to the past,” he told the press on the same day. He noted that “we will not adopt the principle of exclusion,” and showed enthusiasm to realize a political realignment under the leadership of the CDPJ.