Three Opposition Leaders Set End‑of‑August Deadline for Merger Decision

Overview

• Party leaders from the Centrist Reform League, the Constitutional Democratic Party and Komeito met at the Diet on July 31 to confirm a mid-term summary that commits them to reach a merger decision by the end of August.
• The summary directs negotiators to research two specific formats — a 'leave-and-join' approach where members resign and join a new party, and a 'surviving merger' that preserves one party’s legal continuity — and to report back with practical plans.
• The Constitutional Democratic Party will run hearings of its local organizations through August, making internal party agreement the immediate hinge for whether the three can unify on time.
• The three parties say the goal is a 'new structure' that gathers liberal and moderate-conservative forces to better challenge the ruling bloc, but they must reconcile policy gaps on security, nuclear power and Okinawa base issues before finalizing details.
• If they meet the end-of-August target the bloc aims to enter the anticipated autumn extraordinary Diet under a single organization, a change that could alter candidate lists, campaign strategy and voter choices in upcoming contests.