Japan Restoration Party
Japan Restoration Party 日本維新の会 Nippon Ishin no Kai | |
---|---|
Abbreviation | JRP, NIK |
Leader | Tōru Hashimoto |
Secretary-General | Ichirō Matsui |
Representatives leader | Yorihisa Matsuno |
Founded | 28 September 2012 |
Dissolved | 31 July 2014 |
Merger of | |
Split from | |
Succeeded by | Japan Innovation Party |
Headquarters | Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan |
Ideology | |
Political position | Right-wing[10][11] to far-right[4][12] |
Colors |
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The Japan Restoration Party (日本維新の会, Nippon Ishin no Kai), also referred to in English as the Japan Restoration Association, was a Japanese political party. It was launched on 12 September 2012 and gained official recognition on 28 September 2012. The party grew from the regional Osaka Restoration Association, headed by Tōru Hashimoto, Mayor of Osaka, and Ichirō Matsui, Governor of Osaka Prefecture.
On 17 November 2012 Hashimoto and Shintaro Ishihara, leader of the Sunrise Party, announced a merger of their parties to create a "third force" to contest the general election of December 2012.[13] The merged organization, which retained the name "Japan Restoration Party", was at that time Japan's only national political party based outside Tokyo.[14] After the election it had 54 seats in the lower house and 9 members in the upper house.[15][16][17]
On May 28, 2014, co-leaders Hashimoto and Ishihara agreed to split the party after many internal differences, including disagreement over a proposed merger with the Unity Party.[18] As a result, Ishihara's group split off from the JRP and formed the Party for Future Generations.[19] Later, Hashimoto and Kenji Eda of the Unity Party agreed to merge their parties. The JRP was subsequently dissolved and the result of the merger was the formation of the Japan Innovation Party.
History
Party launch and early days
National political parties in Japan require a minimum of five Diet members to be recognized, and in 2012 the party gained seven sitting Diet members through defections from other parties. On 28 September 2012 an application for party recognition was submitted to the Ministry of the Interior through the Osaka prefectural electoral board. This was accepted and the party was officially launched. The Osaka Restoration Association, also headed by Hashimoto and Matsui, was placed under the umbrella of the new national party.[20]
The first meeting of the nine JRA lawmakers was held on 3 October 2012. Yorihisa Matsuno, a member of the House of Representatives who had formerly been in the Democratic Party of Japan, was selected as the leader of the nine lawmakers, and rules of conduct were also adopted.[21]
The party's first general meeting was held on 6 October 2012, with Matsuno formally becoming a deputy party leader, along with Yutaka Imai, a member of the Osaka Prefectural Assembly. Hashimoto said that in cases where national NRA members and regional assembly members could not agree he would make a decision.[citation needed]
Merger with the Sunrise Party
After much discussion, on 17 November 2012 Ishihara and Hashimoto decided to merge their parties, with Ishihara becoming the head of the Japan Restoration Party. Your Party would not join the party, nor would Tax Cuts Japan, as the latter party's opposition to any increase in the consumption tax did not match the JRP's policy in favour of an increase.[22] Following Hashimoto's controversial remarks on the issue of comfort woman during World War II, Yoshimi Watanabe announced that Your Party had decided to end their planned alliance for the upcoming Upper House elections.[23]
Split with former Sunrise members
On May 28, 2014, co-leaders Hashimoto and Shintarō Ishihara agreed to split the party after many internal differences and a proposed merger with the Unity Party, especially their differences regarding the Constitution of Japan. The division is to be in accordance with the Political Parties Subsidies Act in order to split the subsidies each group receives.[18] Ishihara's followers created a new party, the Party for Future Generations (次世代の党, Jisedai no tō), led by Takeo Hiranuma. The party launched with 19 representatives and 3 councilors on 1 August 2014, the day after the formalities of the "dissolution" of the Japan Restoration Party. Hashimoto's followers relaunched a new Japan Restoration Party, which has a similar organization to the old one. Hashimoto's Japan Restoration Party planned to unite with the Unity Party within 1–2 months. Upon the division of the party, two representatives chose to join neither group, and became independents.
Merger with Unity Party
On 22 September 2014, Hashimoto and Kenji Eda of the Unity Party agreed to merge their parties. The JRP was subsequently dissolved; the result of the merger is the Japan Innovation Party.
Ideology
Part of a series on |
Conservatism in Japan |
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The party supported legalizing same-sex marriage.[24]
The party advocated revising the Constitution of Japan, which it characterized as "the Occupation Constitution".[25]
When the Japanese government proposed to revise the laws so that Japan's military would be able to mobilise overseas, the party was the only one to vote no, while other opposition parties walked out.[26]
Presidents of JRP
No. | Name | Photo | Took office | Left office | ||||
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Preceding parties: Osaka Restoration Association (national wing) & Sunrise Party | ||||||||
1 | Tōru Hashimoto | 12 September 2012 | 17 November 2012 | |||||
2 | Shintaro Ishihara | 17 November 2012 | 19 January 2013 | |||||
3 | Co-leadership
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19 January 2013 | 31 July 2014 | |||||
4 | Tōru Hashimoto | 1 August 2014 | 22 September 2014 | |||||
Successor parties: Innovation Party & Party for Future Generations |
Election results
House of Representatives
Election | Leader | Constituency | Party list | Total | Position | Status | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | |||||
2012 | Shintaro Ishihara | 6,942,353 | 11.64 | 14 / 300 |
12,262,228 | 20.50 | 40 / 180 |
54 / 480 |
2nd | Opposition |
House of Councillors
Election | Leader | Constituency | Party list | Seats | Position | Status | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | Election | Total | ||||
2013 | Shintaro Ishihara | 6,355,299 | 11.94 | 2 / 73 |
3,846,649 | 7.25 | 6 / 48 |
8 / 121 |
9 / 242 |
4th | Opposition |
See also
References
- ^ a b Morris-Suzuki, Tessa (December 6, 2012). "Japan's paradoxical shift to the right". Inside Story. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
- ^ Sieg, Linda (17 December 2012). "Analysis: Huge mandate for Japan's LDP may be less than meets the eye". Reuters. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ^ Kirk, Donald (May 31, 2013). "Japan's new drift: Neo-conservative or neo-imperialist?". WorldTribune.com. Archived from the original on 2014-12-09. Retrieved 2013-07-24.
- ^ a b Rydgren, Jens (2018). The Oxford Handbook of the Radical Right. Oxford University Press. pp. 772–773. ISBN 978-0190274559. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
- ^ Johnston, Eric (2016-08-23). "In bid to go national, Osaka Ishin no Kai changes its name". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
- ^ Placek, Kevin (16 September 2015). "The rise and fall of Japan's opposition". East Asia Forum. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ^ Foster, Malcolm (December 16, 2012). "Japan Elections 2012: LDP Wins Majority In Parliamentary Elections". HuffPost. Archived from the original on December 19, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
- ^ Soble, Jonathan (December 17, 2012). "Portrait of Japan's main political parties". Financial Times. Nikkei, Inc. Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
Politics: Populist right (...) An upstart party founded by an outspoken lawyer and television personality turned mayor of Osaka, Toru Hashimoto, Restoration has attracted younger votes with an anti-establishment take on conservatism.
- ^ Wingfield-Hayes, Rupert (December 15, 2012). "Japan loses faith in traditional politics". BBC News. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
There is growing support here for non-traditional parties, particularly right-wing populists who promise strong leadership and bold answers. The most prominent is the Japan Restoration Party led by two political mavericks - Toru Hashimoto, the Mayor of Osaka, and 80-year-old Shintaro Ishihara, the former governor of Tokyo.
- ^ Japan's right-wing Liberals elected in landslide victory, CBC News, 17 December 2012
- ^ Sieg, Linda (May 27, 2013). "Japan's Mayor Hashimoto denies he meant to excuse wartime brothels". Reuters. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
Hashimoto, the populist co-leader of a small right-wing party, sparked a storm of criticism at home and abroad when he said earlier this month that the military brothels had been "necessary" at the time and that Japan had been unfairly singled out for practices common among other militaries during wartime.
- ^ "Shinzo Abe tightens his grip on power in Japan". The Australian. 22 July 2013.
- ^ Japan Today/AP, "Ishihara, Hashimoto announce 'third force' in Japanese politics", "Japan Today", 18 November 2012
- ^ Johnston, Eric, "Nippon Ishin no Kai: Local but with national outlook Archived 2016-01-26 at the Wayback Machine", Japan Times, 3 October 2012, p. 3
- ^ Japan's ruling bloc wins upper house poll
- ^ "UPDATE: Ruling coalition wins Upper House in landslide; breaks Diet gridlock". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
- ^ Abe cements power with LDP’s sweeping victory in Upper House race
- ^ a b "Hashimoto, Ishihara to split Japan Restoration Party - AJW by the Asahi Shimbun". Archived from the original on 2014-06-13. Retrieved 2016-07-13.
- ^ Wolfgang, Ben (11 September 2014). "Japanese political upstarts fear Chinese aggression is filling U.S. leadership void". Washington Times. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
- ^ The Daily Yomiuri Nippon Ishin no Kai officially launched September 30, 2012 Archived October 30, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on October 2, 2012
- ^ Daily Yomiuri Nippon Ishin no Kai holds 1st meeting October 4, 2012 Retrieved on October 4, 2012
- ^ Daily Yomiuri New parties merge forces / Taiyo no To dissolves to join Ishin no Kai; Ishihara named chief November 18, 2012
- ^ Your Party to end alliance with Japan Restoration Party over Hashimoto's comments
- ^ "Same-Sex Marriage in Japan: A Long Way Away?". WSJ. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ "Japan Restoration Party platform". The Japan Times. 2013-04-04. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ "Japan's lower house approves change to self-defence law". BBC News. 2015-07-16. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
External links
- Japan Restoration Party on Facebook(in Japanese)
- Japan Restoration Party on Twitter (in Japanese)
- Japan Restoration Party's channel on YouTube(in Japanese)