Japan's main opposition CDPJ, Komeito agree to form new party

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Japan's main opposition CDPJ, Komeito agree to form new party

2026-01-15 17:26 Last Updated At：01-16 11:40

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.

China's power use up 5.2 percent in Q1

China's electricity consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, reached 2.5141 trillion kilowatt-hours in the first quarter of 2026, up 5.2 percent year on year, according to data released by the National Energy Administration on Monday.

A breakdown of the data shows robust growth across various sectors, as the country's economy got off to a good start in the first quarter with new growth drivers.

From January to March, China's primary industry saw an increase of 7.1 percent in power consumption, bringing total power used to 33.6 billion kilowatt-hours. The secondary industry consumed nearly 1.6 trillion kilowatt-hours, up 4.7 percent from a year ago. Within this sector, the high-tech and equipment manufacturing industry posted particularly strong growth, with electricity consumption increasing 8.6 percent year on year.

The tertiary industry recorded 8.1-percent growth in power use, totaling 483.3 billion kilowatt-hours. Notably, the battery charging and swapping service sector consumed 37.6 billion kilowatt-hours, surging 53.8 percent, while the internet data service sector used 22.9 billion kilowatt-hours, up 44 percent. The power consumption of urban and rural residents was 398.5 billion kilowatt-hours, increasing by 3.4 percent year on year.

In March alone, electricity consumption reached 859.5 billion kilowatt-hours, up 3.5 percent year on year.

China's economy grew five percent in the first quarter, outpacing expectations of some overseas institutions and reinforcing the country's role as a stabilizing force in an increasingly volatile global economy.