Following the 47th general election, the Democratic Party of Japan obtained more seats than we had held prior to the dissolution of the Diet, but we were unable to fully live up to expectations. We would like to offer both our deepest appreciation and our apologies to all those who offered us their assistance and support.

The DPJ gained much support during the campaign for policies which called for shifting the vector of economic policy toward stable employment, enhancing social security, ｗrescinding the Cabinet decision on the right to collective defence. However, we deeply regret that we were unable to fully convince the majority of the Japanese public of the validity of this message.

During this election, many members of the public urged us to act as a healthy voice of opposition to the ruling coalition. We will respond to this call, and ensure that the voices of local communities, of ordinary citizens, and of workers in various trades and professions, are reflected in the Diet debate.

The DPJ is still in the process of restoring our party to full strength, and we are keenly aware that we have a long hard road ahead of us in order to regain public trust. However, we vow that we will transform ourselves into a party capable of acting as one of the two main players in a two-party system at the next election.

We are truly grateful for the support and assistance that we have received from you all.