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On December 15, DPJ President Banri Kaieda held a press conference at party headquarters to announce his resignation.
Kaieda stated, “I decided that I would tender my resignation as President in the early hours of this morning, when it became clear that I would lose my Diet seat.” He gave his analysis of the election, saying, “While we managed to gain 73 seats, this was not a number which could fully act as a vessel for the huge upwelling of public sentiment urging us not to permit the Abe administration to run rampant, which I experienced firsthand as I travelled around the nation.” He added, “We are still in the process of rebuilding our party, but this was a positive step forward.”
Kaieda looked back on his two years as President, stressing, “As I travelled around the nation, I had the opportunity to hear the real voices of many members of the public. I was tasked with conveying to the Diet the voices of farmers and fishermen, factory workers, parents working hard to raise their children, and irregular workers facing difficult working conditions. I have unfortunately lost my Diet seat, but the DPJ’s raison d’etre still remains carrying out politics closely attuned to those who really need a voice, to the disadvantaged, and to people working hard to earn a living.”
Kaieda addressed some words to his successor as President, saying, “I sincerely hope that they will preserve the unity of the DPJ, and ensure that the party is able to be totally rehabilitated at next year’s nationwide local elections.” He added, “From now on, I will work as an ordinary party member in my local community, doing my best to assist in the rebuilding of the DPJ.”
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