Japan’s 1-party era faces ‘unprecedented’ threat from new centrist alliance

Japan is entering one of its most unpredictable election cycles in decades after the surprise formation of a new centrist political alliance that could redefine the balance of power and potentially restore a two-party system to the country’s long-stagnant political landscape.On Thursday, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) and Komeito, once a loyal coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, announced they would merge into a new force called the Centrist Reform Alliance.“This is an opportunity to place the centrist camp right at the heart of politics,” said CDP leader Yoshihiko Noda, unveiling an alliance that both supporters and critics see as an inflection point in Japan’s post-war democracy.Analysts say the alliance could open the door to a return of genuine two-party competition, last seen when the Democratic Party of Japan briefly unseated the LDP after the 2009 election.Rintaro Nishimura, a senior associate at The Asia Group strategic advisory firm, called the new political alliance “a turning point”, with Japan having been under one-party rule since the LDP’s comeback in 2012.