The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) and Komeito, Japan's main opposition, agreed to form a new centrist party, leaders of both parties announced on Thursday.
The agreement was reached during talks between CDPJ leader Yoshihiko Noda and Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito on Thursday afternoon as the two parties seek to put up a united front against the conservative ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party in the looming House of Representatives election.
Noda told a press conference that the move represents an opportunity to place centrist forces at the very center of politics.
According to Japanese media reports earlier, the two parties envision retaining their respective party structures after the new party is launched. CDPJ and Komeito lawmakers in the upper house and local governments would remain in their original parties, while candidates running in the lower house election would leave their current parties and join the new party. The two sides are coordinating the details of this arrangement.
The two parties now hold a total of 172 seats in the lower house, with the CDPJ holding 148 seats and Komeito 24 seats.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Wednesday informed the ruling camp of her intention to dissolve the lower house at the initial stage of this year's ordinary parliamentary session and call a snap election.
Komeito terminated its coalition with the Liberal Democratic Party in October 2025 and shifted into opposition. Growing speculation of a snap election accelerated coordination between parties.
Japan's main opposition CDPJ, Komeito agree to form new party
Japan's main opposition CDPJ, Komeito agree to form new party
Japan's main opposition CDPJ, Komeito agree to form new party
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday Russia is fully prepared and willing to negotiate with Ukraine at a U.S. military facility in Anchorage, Alaska, while his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky proposed a face-to-face meeting.
At a meeting with heads of major international news agencies attending the 29th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin said Russia remains prepared to pursue a negotiated settlement based on a framework discussed with U.S. President Donald Trump during a meeting in Anchorage in August 2025.
He said Russia is ready to accept the compromises discussed at the meeting and expressed hope that the Ukrainian side would also agree to them.
Ukraine has previously rejected the Anchorage framework, as it calls for Ukraine to cede territory.
Meanwhile, Putin said Russian troops are advancing along the entire line of contact and have taken complete control of the Luhansk region, 85 percent of the Donetsk region and 80 percent of the Zaporizhzhia region.
Russia's Presidential Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev said at the 29th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Thursday that despite efforts by forces seeking to prolong the war to disrupt talks between Russia and the U.S., bilateral engagement on Ukraine has made substantive progress.
Dmitriev dismissed reports that Russia-U.S. contacts have stalled, accusing other European nations of spreading disinformation to hinder the peace process.
Dmitriev also said that on Wednesday he had spoken by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner and discussed bilateral economic cooperation.
He said the U.S. side had underscored the need to embrace peace rather than engage in constant provocations and confrontations.
The U.S. has been pushing for peace and Ukraine should join the process, Dmitriev noted, adding there were plans for further contacts with Witkoff and Kushner next week.
Later on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky published an open letter to Putin, proposing to end the conflict through direct talks between the two leaders.
Relevant parties, including European countries and the U.S., should be part of the peace negotiations, the letter stated.
Ukraine is ready for a complete ceasefire during the talks and proposes an exchange of prisoners of war on the principle of "all for all," Zelensky also said in the letter.
Russia ready to talk with Ukraine at U.S. military base: Putin
Russia ready to talk with Ukraine at U.S. military base: Putin
