Asian Political Party Representatives Meet Counterparts & Allies in Japan

The high temperature of late summer matches the political heat in Tokyo, but it did not stop a group of political leaders from Southeast and East Asia from visiting the so-called “Land of the Rising Sun.”

On 8-10 September 2024, a high-level delegation from the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) held its executive mission to Japan.  The delegation was composed of parliamentarians, former parliamentarians and party officials from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan.  A representative from the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF), CALD’s long-standing partner, also joined the delegation.

The primary objective of the mission is to strengthen the network’s relations with its observer-member, the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), Japan’s main opposition party.  The delegation also took the opportunity to meet Japanese think tanks, civil society groups and other stakeholders which CALD can potentially partner with in advancing its democracy work.

“The visit is part of our efforts to engage more democratic allies to address challenges to democracy and human rights in East and Southeast Asia”, said head of the delegation and CALD Chairperson Mardi Seng. “Japan’s democratic credential and the CDP’s political experience can be very valuable to CALD as we endeavor to broaden political space  in the region”, he added.

The CALD delegation was received by the CDP in its headquarters in Tokyo.  All the key officers of the party’s International Bureau, together with a former minister – all incumbent members of the House of Representatives – engaged in a frank and candid discussion about Japan’s current political context and the human rights situation in Southeast and East Asia.

“Your delegation arrived at a time when we are right in the middle of elections for party leadership”, said MP Kentaro Gemma, director general of the International Bureau.  He noted that the ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), is also in the process of choosing its next leader, and that they expect the next general elections to happen within the year.  In the coming months, he said, there would be greater differentiation between the two parties about “the kind of country we want to create.”

Prior to the meeting in the party headquarters, the party also hosted a tour of the Japanese Diet and a luncheon at legislator’s cafeteria with MP Shu Sakurai, deputy director of the International Bureau.  The CDP also treated the CALD delegation to a sumptuous dinner featuring Fukuokan cuisine that same day.

Apart from meeting CDP officials, CALD delegation members also met with other opposition political parties such as the Japan Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party.  They also discussed with representatives of think tanks and civil society such as the Japan Centre for International Exchange (JCIE), the Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation (JANIC) and its research and advocacy arm, THINK Lobby, as well as with the Japan director of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly on China (IPAC).

In CALD’s letter of thanks, CALD Chairperson Seng and CALD Secretary General Francis Abaya expressed their sincere gratitude and appreciation to the CDP for hosting the delegation even as the party undergoes leadership changes and prepares for the general elections.  They also expressed hope that CALD and CDP can “further deepen our cooperation on the issue of democratizing the political space and preventing one-party dominance (as) absence of competitive party system is inimical to the workings of democracy.”