With the general election set for Oct. 31, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said the goal of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito coalition is to retain a simple majority. Currently those parties hold 304 of the 465 Lower House seats, 275 of which belong to the LDP.
Seeking to unseat the ruling coalition are four opposition parties, centered around the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Japanese Communist Party, who have forged an agreement to get behind the same candidates. The CDP holds 111 seats and the JCP has 12 seats, while the other two parties are the much smaller Social Democratic Party (one seat) and Reiwa Shinsengumi (one seat). Campaigning kicks off Oct. 19.
What’s the motivation for cooperating?