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2025 September 10 - 16 TOP3 [POLITICS]

‘Citizens-opposition parties coalition’ 10 years after enactment of war laws

Akahata editorial (excerpts)

Ten years have passed since the national security-related legislation (“war laws”) was forcibly enacted in September 2015. Calling for the abolition of the war laws, concerned citizens formed a group to oppose the war laws and restore constitutionalism called the “Civil Alliance.” The alliance then evolved to a “joint struggle between concerned citizens and pro-constitutional opposition parties” in order to win elections with the goal of achieving regime change.

Despite various twists and turns, the “citizens-opposition parties coalition” remains in force today. In the July Upper House election, for example, they fielded unified opposition candidates in 17 single-seat constituencies and won 12 of them, contributing to driving the LDP-Komei force into a minority position in the Diet.

A defining feature of the joint struggle of concerned citizens and opposition parties is that they focus on common grounds by putting aside differences in political affiliation that had previously hindered cooperation. The coalition has engaged in a wide range of single-issue campaigns, including opposition to the liberalization of agricultural imports, cutbacks in healthcare programs, the planned construction of new nuclear power plants, and the U.S. military base project in Henoko in Okinawa.

These single-issue campaigns have empowered concerned citizens to raise their voices across various sectors and regions, fostering collaboration among trade unions　regardless of their national centers, and promoting concerted efforts made by the Japanese Communist Party and the former Democratic Party of Japan. As a result, the barrier which had excluded the JCP from opposition parties’ meetings no longer exists.

Today, with the rise of a far-right and xenophobic trend, a “reactionary bloc” which comprises the “Nippon Ishin no Kai” party, the Democratic Party for the People, and the “Sanseito” party in addition to the LDP-Komei force, is forming. In order to counter this, it will be essential to further develop the citizens-opposition parties coalition.