Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto on Friday officially registered his Nippon Ishin No Kai (Japan Restoration Party) as Japan's newest political party. The application was made to the Internal Affairs Ministry in Osaka.
The party has seven Diet members who came from the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), main opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and other parties.
Hashimoto plans to run up to 300 candidates in the election, although he insists he won't be one of them. He said he will start selecting candidates next week.
In recent weeks, some opinion polls have shown that the Japan Restoration Party is more popular than the DPJ. Hashimoto's party could influence who becomes the seventh after an election expected within months that the Democrats look set to lose.
Pundits see the long-dominant LDP re-emerging as the biggest party but falling short of a majority, even with a smaller ally.
"If Hashimoto's party gets more than 100 seats, the LDP will have to tie up with it," said Nihon University professor Tomoaki Iwai. "If it wins only 60-70, the LDP might favor the DPJ."
Others say Hashimoto, who makes much of his outsider status to woo disillusioned voters, will steer clear of a coalition with mainstream parties and bide his time
© Japan Today/Reuters
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Disillusioned
Japan Restoration Party? He should have called it, 'The right-wing imperialists thugs party'. I have seen more mature behavior in an elementary school playground than the childish and petty rubbish that goes on in Japanese politics.
Waxman
Hashimoto will not stop!! This is just first step!! Imperialism will be back again!!
waltery
They must be running out of names for new party's by now, seems every week there is a new one.
lucabrasi
Not this time around. Imperialism requires an empire, and China, Korea and the rest of Asia aren't going to sit back and let Japan get on with building one.
smithinjapan
It's good that there might be a third option in this constant two-party "we are exactly the same" struggle. Sadly, the third party would also be exactly the same, especially given that it's being filled with dropouts from the DPJ, who dropped out from the LDP before.
smithinjapan
waltery: Yeah, but it all evens out in the end. When the wee little parties they form prove to be absolutely nothing and they can't form coalitions with the big parties to save them, they jump ship and join what looks to be the winner.
Open Minded
Where is Japan going to? What are the values of Japan? How should the future looks like? What is the place of Japan in a peacefull world?
Japan has a lot to teach to other nations, but as well a lot to learn.
Learning is a prerequisite for credibility!
globalwatcher
Japanese imperialism is coming back from grave and history will be repeated. Everyone has to start a day with Japanese national antham-Kimigayo. Oh dear......
JoeBigs
Hashimoto is nuttier than a bag of peanuts.
Iron Clad Templar
Excellent news, once he has cleaned up the mess in kingdoms of Osaka/Sakai, he can then move onto the national stage, presuming that he gets up to 30 of his knights past the post at the next election. In the mean time, his wing man might want to tone down his comments on the other parties in the race as he will have to work with them sooner, rather then later.
telecasterplayer
And has that happened yet? Is it even going to happen? Or is he too busy trying to get out of Kansai for a promotion to Tokyo? LOL