Japan's Centre Reform Alliance dissolves; 48 lawmakers leave to form new party

The dissolution of the Centre Reform Alliance marks the effective end of an eight-month political merger experiment, with 48 lawmakers reverting to party-of-origin lines. The restructuring affects parliamentary seat distributions, coalition dynamics ahead of 2027 local elections, and political funding allocations between the Democratic Reform Association and Kōmeitō. The three entities plan to maintain a unified lower-house caucus despite formal separation, preserving legislative coordination while allowing individual parties to manage their public positioning and electoral strategy independently.