Ozawa Forms New Japan Opposition Party in Challenge to Noda
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Former Japanese ruling party leader Ichiro Ozawa formed a new political group today, challenging Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s stances on increasing the sales tax and restarting nuclear reactors.
“I will devote all my efforts to this,” Ozawa said in Tokyo in announcing the name of his party, which can be translated as “The People’s Lives Come First,” and has 49 legislators. Last week he lead an exodus of about 50 lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Japan after the lower house of parliament approved Noda’s bill to double the five percent tax.