5 lawmakers form new party called Reform Club

Friday 29th August, 06:54 AM JST

TOKYO —

Five House of Councillors members formed a new political party on Thursday, three of them lawmakers from the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan who decided to leave the party the same day. The three DPJ lawmakers, including former post minister Hideo Watanabe, and two independent upper house members submitted notification of the formation of the ‘‘Kaikaku Kurabu’’ (Reform Club) to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, which accepted it.

The DPJ members, also including Yasuhiro Oe and Yumiko Himei, have apparently found it difficult to follow party policies under DPJ leader Ichiro Ozawa, and made the decision to quit as it seems highly likely that Ozawa will be reelected unopposed in the party’s September presidential election. Although the move is a blow to Ozawa, the new party is not big enough to bring about any change in the balance of power in the upper house, which is controlled by the opposition parties, even if the new party sides with the ruling bloc of the Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito party.

Oe said the current DPJ is ‘‘not serving as a responsible political party’’ and that the new party wants to act ‘‘neither as a ruling party nor as an opposition party.’’ The two independents joining the new party are Hiroyuki Arai, a former ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker, and Shimpei Matsushita, who belonged to a political group in the upper house that includes DPJ members until July last year.

Watanabe and Oe were elected from the proportional representation bloc, in which seats are allocated according to the share of votes a political party has garnered in an election.

Acting DPJ President Naoto Kan told a press conference that Watanabe and Oe should resign and ‘‘return the seats to the party’’ rather than leaving it.

Earlier this year, Oe and Watanabe were punished and warned by the DPJ for voting against the party over a government bill to continue allocating gasoline tax revenues for road maintenance and over the selection of a new leadership for the Bank of Japan.

Oe also skipped voting a nonbinding censure motion against Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, which was submitted by the opposition parties and passed the upper house in June.

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9 Comments

KissMint at 08:19 AM JST - 29th August

Why did they have to call it a "club" (kurabu)?? That makes it sound like an after-school thing or something equally juvenile. Reform Party wouldn't work?
smithinjapan at 08:36 AM JST - 29th August

What a stupid name! Why not try using something Japanese and less childish?
franknbeans at 09:13 AM JST - 29th August

Ralph Nader Redux.....
tkoind2 at 10:13 AM JST - 29th August

Yet another pointless party for Japan.

What this country needs is a part of change and the good sense to elect one to office.
Betting at 10:20 AM JST - 29th August

"Why did they have to call it a "club" (kurabu)?? That makes it sound like an after-school thing or something equally juvenile. Reform Party wouldn't work?".

Because it is English and as everyone in the known world knows that if it is in English, it has to be cool. Probably inside the kurabu-house they call each other dude and other gnarly words ...
smithinjapan at 01:00 PM JST - 29th August

Betting: No doubt... and they pat each other on the back and say, "You great OB!", not knowing an OB is a doctor in the babies' ward of the hospital.
WaDisruptor at 04:46 PM JST - 29th August

Wouldn't it be "dudo" and "nuaeluri"? The name sounds like a cheap snack bar which is where their headquarters are probably located or at least where the main members probably spend all of their time.
some14some at 12:08 AM JST - 30th August

Club collapsed as lady Yumiko betrayed reformists.