Overview
- - The Constitutional Democratic Party and Komeito formally presented the Chudo Reform Alliance’s platform, pledging a “life-first” agenda across five pillars: growth, social security, inclusion, pragmatic foreign and defense policy with deeper constitutional debate, and political and electoral reform.
- - The basic policy states that exercising self-defense in a survival-threatening situation under the 2015 security legislation is constitutional, omits explicit mention of collective self-defense, and drops the prior CDP pledge to repeal “unconstitutional” parts.
- - Energy policy targets a future with reduced nuclear reliance while allowing restarts where safety is verified, evacuation plans are effective, and local consent is secured; tighter rules on recipients of corporate and organizational donations are also included.
- - On prices, the alliance aims to make the food consumption tax permanently zero with funding to be specified, while the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is weighing a time-limited 0% rate to blunt the issue.
- - Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is set to announce a lower-house dissolution tonight, with Jan. 27–Feb. 8 seen as the likely election window; analysts note Komeito voter shifts could flip about 44 districts, even as some CDP figures signal they will not join the new party.