Japan’s Your Party Gains in Vote, Making It Key to Legislation
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Japan’s opposition Your Party won 10 seats in upper house elections yesterday, vaulting the group formed 11 months ago into a position to make or break legislation proposed by a weakened ruling bloc.
Your Party leader Yoshimi Watanabe vowed not to join Prime Minister Naoto Kan’s Democratic Party of Japan-led coalition and to pursue a separate legislative agenda. Kan will have to negotiate with the new group as well as the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party on legislation, potentially signaling renewed political gridlock. Watanabe is a former LDP cabinet minister.