Post

To play devil's advocate for CRA: poll data show that most Japanese voters consider themselves centrists on the vast majority of issues, primarily valuing stability / competence on valence, pocketbook issues. "The LDP is going off the rails, we're offering continuity" isn't the worst campaign ever.

Paul Nadeau@pauljnadeau.bsky.social

But seriously a centrist party in coalition with Komeito is just off-brand LDP from Shien and I have no idea who this new alliance is supposed to appeal to

23/1/26, 1:42 am4 reposts22 likes

Rob Fahey

@robfahey.net

23 Jan

It's not for nothing that the biggest electoral threats to the LDP have always been forces led by former LDP figures! When the LDP is out of favour (which it still basically is, despite Takaichi juicing cabinet support polls), voters swing to "kinda like the LDP but without the scandals" offerings.

Rob Fahey

@robfahey.net

23 Jan

However, to dispense with the devil's advocate act: just because CRA *could* be making that appeal doesn't mean they *are*. For a start, throwing together a whole new party days before an election with no fully agreed policy platform doesn't exactly scream "we're the stable option".

Rob Fahey

@robfahey.net

23 Jan

Also, while I personally think Komeito has generally been a positive influence in Japanese politics over the past 20 years, the fact remains that they're the political wing of a cult, and tying up with them largely defangs any critique of the LDP's slimy entanglement with the Unification Church.

Rob Fahey

@robfahey.net

23 Jan

So the CRA *could* appeal to a lot of voters, but on the other side of the balance: dubious branding, a hastily thrown together partnership, an unclear policy platform, and honestly nobody on those benches is a good enough political attack dog to make the public case that the LDP has lost the plot.