60096    This year, the Socialist Party is going to address the realization of the "new democratic and liberal party" concept upon which the existence of the party is staked.

60097    We will determine the organization policy of the new party at the extraordinary convention that is scheduled for around February 11, and will be appealing to other parties and citizens' organizations.

60098    However, while almost all the members of the former Democratic Socialist Party participated in the New Frontier Party, we have not yet decided our partner, as our connections with New Party Sakigake are still unstable.

60099    Since "the New Democratic League" has not changed their policy to start a preparatory committee for their own new party this month, the executive members including Wataru Kubo, General Secretary of the SPJ, will be forced to effectively manage the party in the difficult situation in which the party may split.

60100    At the beginning, Kubo assumed that the Democratic Socialist Party which is mainly supported by Rengo, the Democratic Reform Party, the New Party Sakigake, and a part of the Japan New Party were appropriate as partners of the new party.

60101    However, the Democratic Socialist Party participated in the New Frontier Party.

60102    The Democratic Reform Party is hesitating to participate, as they would like to gain support from the New Frontier Party in the Upper House election scheduled for this summer.

60103    It is reported that as Kubo had frequent contacts with Masayoshi Takemura, Representative of Sakigake, aiming at their participation, Takemura came to be interested in cooperation with them, but it is also reported that members of Sakigake resist taking risks, because they consider that "social democracy is different from conservative liberalism."

60104    Radicals of the New Democratic League asserted that the new party should be established before summoning an ordinary session of the Diet.

60105    Moderates claimed that it should be done before the unified local elections.

60106    As "the Association of the Supporters of the Murayama Administration and Promotion of Socialist Democratic Liberal Politics," which takes circumspect attitude towards the establishment of the new party, considers that "it is not too late to establish a new party after Upper House election," it will be difficult to reach a compromise.

60107    For the time being, it is almost determined that only the organization policy will be decided at the convention of February, and our party will run in the unified local elections as the Socialist Party.

60108    It is mostly regarded that whether it is held before or after Upper House election depends on "how badly we lose the unified local elections."

60109    Several members, including Yamahana consider that they will form a preparatory committee for their own new party before the summoning of an ordinary session of the Diet, because they are afraid that "the formation of the new party may be postponed after the next session of the Diet, followed by budget debates and the unified local elections."

60110    Whether they should leave the party or not is uncertain, but for the time being, the most important will be the number of members who participate in the preparatory committee.