The Social Democratic Party's campaign for the Sept. 11 general election will be a continuation of its same platform: Japan must maintain its peace stance, SDP leader Mizuho Fukushima said Thursday.
The SDP, a strong force a decade ago when then Socialist leader Tomiichi Murayama became prime minister in an uncanny coalition with its longtime arch foe, the Liberal Democratic Party, is now facing a life-or-death situation: Politics are becoming a system dominated by the LDP and the Democratic Party of Japan.
"It's true that we're in a difficult situation," because the current electoral situation, involving single-member and proportional representation constituencies, is fostering a two-party system, Fukushima said.