Content in this edit is translated from the existing Japanese Wikipedia article at [[:ja:国民民主党 (日本 2020)]]; see its history for attribution.
{{Translated|ja|国民民主党 (日本 2020)}}
The Democratic Party For the People[5][nb 1] (国民民主党, Kokumin Minshu-tō), abbreviated to DPFP[6] or DPP, is a centre-right,[15] conservative[20] and populist[24] political party in Japan.
First iteration of the party was formed on 7 May 2018 from the merger of the Democratic Party and Kibō no Tō (Party of Hope).[6] In September 2020, some members of the party agreed to join the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan,[25] but there're also members, including party leader Yuichiro Tamaki who rejected the arrangement. Therefore both parties dissolved, with members agreeing with the merger joining the new CDPJ, and members who rejected the arrangement formed a new party retaining the DPFP name and branding.[16][26]
The party saw electoral success in the 2024 general election, in which it won 28 seats in the House of Representatives, becoming the fourth-largest party in the chamber. Subsequently in the 2025 Japanese House of Councillors election, the party came in second in the national popular vote and won 17 seats, surpassing Komeito to become the fourth-largest party in the National Diet overall.[27]
The party advocate the use of expansionary fiscal policy.[28] Politically, the party would not join LDP-Komeito's ruling coalition, instead they claim the party will cooperate with other parties, no matter they are in ruling coalition or in opposition, when policy aligns.[29][30] For example, in year 2024, the party tried to reach agreement LDP and Komeito on the national budget,[31], while also signed cooperation agreement with CDPJ and RENGO on policies like diplomacy, economy, and diversity.[32]
On 28 September 2017, Democratic Party (DP) leader Seiji Maehara announced that the party had abandoned plans to contest the 2017 general election,[33][34] with the party's sitting representatives contesting the election as candidates for the Kibō no Tō recently founded by former Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike, or as independents.[35][36] On 23 October 2017, after the election, Maehara resigned as party president, with the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) having replaced the DP as the largest opposition party in the House of Representatives, while the existing DP caucus continued to exist in the House of Councillors.[37][38]
In January 2018, the DP and the Kibō no Tō agreed to form a joint parliamentary group in both houses of the Diet,[39] although days later the negotiations broke down.[40] On 9 April 2018, it was announced that talks were ongoing to merge the two parties into a new opposition force.[41] On 24 April 2018, at a joint press conference the leadership of the DP and the Kibō no Tō announced that both parties had agreed to merge in May 2018 as the National Democratic Party.[42] The DP and Kibō no Tō on 7 May 2018,[33] 62 members of the predecessor parties joined the DPFP at its formation.[43] adopting Democratic Party For the People as their official English language title. DP leader Kōhei Ōtsuka and Kibō leader Yūichirō Tamaki became the interim co-leaders of the new party.
The party held a leadership election in September 2018 to choose a permanent leader. Interim co-leader Tamaki was elected as the permanent leader of the party.[44]
In April 2019, the Liberal Party merged into the Democratic Party For the People.[45]
In year 2019, Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan tried to absorb Democratic Party of People, but faced resistance from the party.[46][47]
Discussions resumed in year 2020, but due to split in opinion among members of the party at the time regarding whether to join CDPJ, it's announced on August 24 in the year both CDPJ and DPFP were dissolved and re-established as new CDPJ and DPFP, with only some of old DPFP members joining the new CDPJ.[48] Difference in positions in policies have been cited as reason for why some members and supporting groups of DPFP didn't join CDPJ at the time, including CDPJ's opposition of consumption tax cut, opposition to constitution amendment, push for zero nuclear, and that CDPJ did not name itself as reformist-centrist.[49][50]
As a result of this decision, the old DPFP dissolved on 11 September 2020 and the application for dissolution submitted to the government on 14 September 2020,[51] and the new DPFP is subsequently established on 15 September 2020.[52][53]
After the establishment of new DPFP, the new party decided not to join left-leaning opposition coalition which featured CDPJ, Japan Communist Party, Social Democratic Party, and Reiwa Shinsengumi, due to concern on the coalition's position regarding nuclear power, constitution reform, national security, and tax cut.[54][55][56][57] Instead, the party cooperated with Japan Innovation Party for pushing constitutional reform and Tomin First no Kai in election.[58][59][60][61][62]
In November 2023, Maehara Seiji and some other parliament members of the party left the party following defeat in party leadership election, critising the executives of Democratic Party For the People at the time being too closely aligned with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), such as via the DPFP cooperating with the LDP on legislation and the DPFP intention to support the LDP's supplementary budget for the fiscal year 2024.[63][64][65]
But due to 2023–2024 Japanese slush fund scandal, DPFP voted for support a vote of no confidence against the Kishida cabinet of the LDP-Komeito ruling coalition at the time.[66] Because of this opposition, Komeito and LDP removed policy supported by DPFP from the supplementary budget.[67] This caused DPFP disengage from discussion with LDP and Komeito[68] and the party instead moved to support candidates from CDPJ in elections against LDP/Komeito coalition.[69][70]
In 2018 sources defined the party as centrist.[74] The DPFP describes itself as a "reformist centrist"[75] and not populist,[76] although various sources have described the party as being conservative[16] and populist.[77] In 2018, Otsuka said that the term "Reformist-Centrist Party" describes the attitude and spirit of the DPP that thoroughly adheres to a democratic approach to realistically reform/solve various issues.[78] In 2018, the DPFP officially stated its support of diplomatic pacifism, constitutionalism and sustainable development.[79]
The DPFP self-defines as "a reform centrist party led by people ranging from moderate-conservatives and liberals". However, unlike the old DPFP, third-party sources have considered the new Democratic Party For the People as centre-right.[80]
Yuichiro Tamaki (born 1969)
While the CDP, a center-left party, is united on the merger idea, the DPP, a center-right party, was divided even before Monday's developments.
The main opposition, the centrist Constitutional Democratic Party, lost 13 seats, to end up with 96. Other smaller opposition parties only shifted slightly, with the Japanese Communist Party dropping two to ten, and the centre-right Democratic Party For the People gaining three to reach 11.
This was also shown in the votes for another small opposition party, the centre right Democratic Party For People [...]
[...] the centre-right Democratic Party for the People now on 22.
As such issues as inflation, taxes and immigration dominated the campaign, the center-right Democratic Party for the People (DPFP) [...]
In Sunday's election, voters frustrated with price increases exceeding the pace of wage hikes, especially younger people who have long felt ignored by the ruling government's focus on senior voters, rapidly turned to the emerging conservative DPP [...]
○政治団体の名称 国民民主党