The Democratic Party of Japan ( The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is the largest opposition party in Japan, formed on April 27, 1998 by the former Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), the Civic Party, the Yooi New Party, and the United Democratic Reform Party. The current head of the party (representative of the Permanent Executive Committee) is Banri Kaieda. The DPJ calls for a free and secure society and insists on opposing the Prime Minister's visit to Yasukuni Shrine to avoid provoking conflicts with neighboring countries.