Aug 20 (NHK) - Japan's second largest opposition party, the Democratic Party for the People, has decided to dissolve itself and form a new one through a merger with the largest opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party.
The decision came at a meeting of more than 60 Lower and Upper House members of the party on Wednesday afternoon.
Party President Tamaki Yuichiro said at the outset of the meeting that he had held talks with the Constitutional Democratic Party with a desire to change Japan's politics by creating a larger political force.
He asked the members to have a positive discussion to put an end to the party and make a fresh start.
The party leadership then reported the background of the two parties' merger talks, in which their secretaries general drew up a draft platform for a new party.
Some members had expressed their intention not to join the merger, including Maehara Seiji who is a former Foreign Minister. They walked out while the others continued the discussion on whether to approve the proposed merger.
After the meeting, Tamaki reiterated his stance of not taking part in the merger. Some other members also remain cautious about the merger.
The party agreed to leave it up to Tamaki and Secretary General Hirano Hirofumi to decide how to deal with those members and also what to do about a proposal made by Tamaki to split the party, rather than dissolve it.
Source: ANNnewsCH
