For Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Kenta Izumi, 2022 is especially auspicious, as he was born in 1974 — also the Year of the Tiger.
“Like a tiger, which can reportedly run hundreds of miles in a single day, I will travel around the country this year to promote the CDP’s policies and make efforts to win the Upper House election,” Izumi told reporters on Tuesday, after a visit to the Grand Shrines of Ise in Mie Prefecture.
For the CDP, success or failure in the vote scheduled to take place in the summer is likely to determine the post-election futures of not only Izumi but the party itself. Questions remain over whether another agreement between the CDP and the Japanese Communist Party to back the same candidates wherever possible could lead to a net increase or a decrease in Upper House seats for the opposition camp.