Watanabe hints at quitting LDP, forming new party

Monday 08th December, 05:56 AM JST

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

› Login to comment

7 Comments

Scrote at 09:12 AM JST - 8th December

Watch the rats leave the sinking ship LDP maru.
thepro at 09:48 AM JST - 8th December

The whole LDP should be dissolved
Simon_Foston at 11:05 AM JST - 8th December

The whole LDP should be dissolved

Agreed. But now it's starting to look as if it might actually happen.
Zolt at 01:26 PM JST - 8th December

I agree the time is as ripe as it's ever been. If he manage to woo away a few other disgruntled reformists, it might force new elections, and he could form a coalition with Ozawa
smithinjapan at 02:44 PM JST - 8th December

Didn't one of these guys just for their own party of 5 a couple months ago, only to have two of them immediately jump ship back to the main party, and the whole thing to go down to the toilet?

I'm also saying good riddance to the LDP, though to be honest there seems to be no good alternative. Ozawa is NO better than Aso.
Shumatsu_Samurai at 08:20 AM JST - 9th December

The whole LDP should be dissolved

Along with the DPJ, which would make things worse than now if they formed a government. Only when the artifically created major parties are destroyed can like-minded politicians band together and co-operate to make things better.
Simon_Foston at 08:57 AM JST - 9th December

Along with the DPJ, which would make things worse than now if they formed a government.

I must also question the competence of a mish-mash of conservatives, liberals and socialists who have, when all's said and done, basically banded together in order to win elections. Their manifesto does look a bit more coherent and sensible than the LDP's, but I agree about the need for a major political re-alignment.

Of course, if this Yoshimi Watanabe quits the LDP and takes a few progressive, pro-reform people with him, that will be a start. All it needs is enough of them to jump ship for the LDP to lose its lower house supermajority, and there will have to be an election.