On February 12, the Standing Executive Committee of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan decided to establish a "Party Diplomacy Promotion Headquarters" with President Yoshihiko Noda as the head.

Secretary-General Junya Ogawa, who proposed the establishment of the headquarters, said, "We will establish a Party Diplomacy Promotion Headquarters with President Yoshihiko Noda as the head in order to promote parliamentary diplomacy and party diplomacy, which President has long advocated." He also announced the framework personnel changes, appointing Acting President Hiroshi Ogushi as deputy head, Secretary-General Junya Ogawa as Secretary-General, and International Department Director Kentaro Genma as Executive Director. There are many experienced members of the party, including a former foreign minister, and he emphasized, "We will strive to promote party diplomacy and parliamentary diplomacy by strengthening the executive structure."

In the document proposed by Secretary-General Ogawa, he explained the background to the establishment, saying, "As a result of last year's general election for the House of Representatives, the Constitutional Democratic Party's responsibility in national politics has become even heavier. With a view to a change of government in the next national election, strengthening party diplomacy functions has become an urgent issue."

Regarding the significance of the Constitutional Democratic Party promoting party diplomacy, he stated, "By securing a flexible diplomatic route that differs from that of the government and the ruling party, we can complement perspectives that cannot be adequately covered by ruling party-led diplomacy. Furthermore, not only will we be able to convey diverse opinions from within Japan to the international community, but we can also expect to utilize success stories from overseas in domestic policymaking."

Regarding future efforts, he stated, "With the launch of the second term of the Trump administration, exchanges with US political parties and related organizations will be more important than ever in order to maintain and develop Japan-US relations. In addition, strengthening ties with political parties in neighboring South Korea is also an urgent task. Furthermore, exchanges with political parties in the Global South, which have emerged in recent years, will also be an important element in future party diplomacy."

Regarding the newly established headquarters, he explained that it was set up "to utilize the knowledge, experience, and connections of veteran, mid-ranking, and young lawmakers to develop party diplomacy in a multi-layered manner." Regarding the relationship with the International Department, he stated, "At Headquarters, the International Department will take on secretariat functions, making maximum use of the experience and knowledge it has accumulated to date. This will ensure consistent decision-making and promote party diplomacy in addition to government-to-government diplomacy, thereby broadening the scope of Japan's diplomacy and contributing to the realization of world peace."