Nippon Ishin no Kai on Wednesday unveiled a draft plan to hold primaries to unify opposition candidates for 32 single-seat constituencies in the upcoming House of Councilors election.
The proposal calls for conducting online public opinion polls in constituencies where multiple opposition parties plan to field candidates, then deciding by mid-May which party will field a candidate in each constituency.
Nippon Ishin plans to call on all opposition parties, including the Japanese Communist Party, to participate. Its secretary-general, Ryohei Iwatani, will begin talks with other parties on Friday, but it is unclear whether the plan will be realized as some in the opposition camp seem reluctant.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.