Angry over its failure to negotiate a deal on its signature policy with the ruling coalition, the opposition Democratic Party for the People (DPP) is going on the attack as it looks toward building public support ahead of this summer’s Upper House election.
The outcome is likely to further complicate Japan’s political landscape in which the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito must win the cooperation of at least one opposition party to secure the votes they need to pass legislation.
During campaigning for last October’s Lower House election, the DPP pledged to raise the tax-free threshold for annual income from ¥1.03 million ($6,880) to ¥1.78 million. It proved especially popular among younger, urban voters who helped the DPP quadruple its Lower House seat total from seven to 28, making it the third-largest opposition party in the Lower House, behind the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Nippon Ishin no Kai.
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