Edano Elected as Leader of Japan's Unified Opposition Party and Constitutional Democratic Party

Yukio Edano, Leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party
[Image Source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Yukio Edano, leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party, was elected as the leader of Japan's unified opposition party on the 10th, NHK and other broadcasters reported.

According to the report, a vote by 149 members of the National Diet took place immediately after a speech held at a hotel in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, that afternoon. As a result, Edano received 107 votes, and Kenta Izumi, chairman of the Policy Research Council of the Democratic Party for the People, received 42 votes, leading to Edano's election as leader.

The 56-year-old former lawyer Edano first entered politics by being elected to the House of Representatives in 1993. Edano's term as leader will last two years, until the end of September 2022.

The unified opposition party was formed by the merger of the Constitutional Democratic Party, the largest opposition party, and the Democratic Party for the People, the second-largest opposition party, with some independent Diet members participating. The new party's name was decided as "Constitutional Democratic Party," proposed by Edano, receiving 94 votes in the vote held that day.

The founding convention will be held on the 15th. The Asahi Shimbun reported that the focus will be on how much the party can expand its influence in the next House of Representatives election.

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