Yukio Edano, who announced his candidacy in the leadership race of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) on Wednesday, has underlined his centrist approach ahead of a possible general election.
Edano, a former president of the CDP, has apparently sought to shed his leftist image to win over the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, or Rengo, the biggest umbrella body for labor unions in the country, as well as conservative-leaning members of the party. He has avoided using the expression "zero nuclear power" and pledged to review the CDP's ties with the Japanese Communist Party (JCP).
Phasing out the country's use of nuclear power has been a key policy goal for Edano, who played a key role as chief Cabinet secretary in dealing with the March 2011 meltdowns at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.