Seeing the election platform of the nascent political party Kibo no To (Party of Hope), I got a weird feeling. It is no exaggeration to say that its election pledges are hard to tell apart from that of the Liberal Democratic Party.
It seems Yuriko Koike only wants to set up a conservative party that resembles the LDP in order to replace the Abe administration. Seeing the European political situation, the declining power of center-left parties is evident in Japan as well.
I am not a leftist, but we should acknowledge that the role played by center-left parties in Japan cannot be overlooked regarding promoting social welfare, working conditions and environmental protection.
Now that both the LDP and Kibo no To have shown their conservative agendas, Japanese voters need the emergence of a liberal political force that can confront these conservatives.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.