Around the World: Japan

Ex-leader to launch party

Japan's former Administrative Reform Minister Yoshimi Watanabe, who served under Shinzo Abe for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), announced that he would form his own party to compete in August 30 national elections, Kyodo News said yesterday.

The party, tentatively named Minnanoto (party for everybody) will hold a news conference on Saturday to outline its platform. The party is expected to criticize the LDP for colluding with bureaucrats and the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) for being too close to the unions.