The Japanese Communist Party is unlikely to withdraw its constituency candidates for cooperation with other opposition parties in the Oct. 27 general election, its leader, Tomoko Tamura, has indicated.

The foundations for electoral cooperation among opposition parties "have collapsed," Tamura said in a recent interview.

She blamed the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan for the current situation, saying that during the CDP's leadership race last month, there were remarks that jeopardized efforts to abolish the country's national security legislation.

In the upcoming House of Representatives election, Tamura said, "It's that each opposition party will work to corner the (ruling) Liberal Democratic Party on its own."

The JCP leader added, however, that limited cooperation could continue based on the situation in each constituency.

For a new stage of opposition cooperation, Tamura said it is "crucial" for the JCP to increase its parliamentary share.

Meanwhile, Tamura expressed her excitement about the upcoming general election, which is her first as JCP leader, saying that she will be able to frame it as an opportunity for the JCP to make large gains.

She pointed out that it was the JCP's newspaper that exposed the LDP's "slush fund" scandal, and that the JCP has been at the forefront of pushing the LDP to reveal the truth behind the scandal. "I want to tell people that politics will change if the JCP grows," she said.

During the campaign, the JCP will focus on the issue of politics and money, work-style reform, a review of the Japan-U.S. alliance, climate change and gender equality, according to Tamura.

The administration of new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is "not trustworthy," said Tamura, arguing that it is reluctant to reinvestigate the LDP slush fund scandal or ban political donations from companies and other organizations, but is willing to give favorable treatment to large companies and inherit old values that deny diversity.

"Donations from companies and organizations lead to the LDP's favorable treatment of large companies," Tamura claimed. "It is necessary to close loopholes, such as corporate donations to political parties and their local chapters and purchases of fundraising event tickets."

In the Lower House election, the JCP aims to win 6.5 million votes, or about 10% of all votes, under the proportional representation system, the party leader said. "We must definitely keep our recent proportional representation seats and will seek to gain more," she said.

The party's only constituency seat, in the Okinawa No. 1 district, is a crown jewel that it must protect, Tamura added.