Japan Restoration Party

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.

For the second party to use the same name in Japanese, see Nippon Ishin no Kai.
Japan Restoration Party

日本維新の会
Nippon Ishin no Kai
LeaderTōru Hashimoto
Secretary-GeneralIchirō Matsui
Representatives leaderYorihisa Matsuno
Founded12 September 2012 (2012-09-12)
Dissolved22 September 2014 (2014-09-22)
Merger of
Succeeded by
HeadquartersOsaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
IdeologyJapanese nationalism[2]
Neoconservatism[3]
Economic liberalism[4]
Right-wing populism[5]
Neoliberalism[6]
Political positionRight-wing[7] to far-right[6][8]
ColorsGreen

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.[9] The merged organization, which retained the name "Japan Restoration Party", was at that time Japan's only national political party based outside Tokyo.[10] After the election it had 54 seats in the lower house and 9 members in the upper house.[11][12][13]

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.[14] As a result, Ishihara's group split off from the JRP and formed the Party for Future Generations.[15] 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.

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.[16]

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.[17]

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.[18]

Policies

The party maintained "Eight Policies for Restoration" (維新八策, Ishin hassaku). These policies covered more than 200 items dealing with issues such as governance, economic policy, social welfare, education, diplomacy, and severing Japan's status as "America's mistress".[19]

Unusual for a right-wing organization, the party supported legalizing same-sex marriage.[20]

The party advocated revising the Constitution of Japan, which it characterized as "the Occupation Constitution".[21]

When the Japanese government proposed to revise the laws such that Japan's military would be able to mobilise overseas, the party was the only one to vote no, as all the other opposition parties had walked out.[22]

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.[23] 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.[24]

Split with ex-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.[25] 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.

Presidents of JRP
No. Name Term of office
Took Office Left Office
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
Shintaro Ishihara   Tōru Hashimoto
 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

General election results
Election Leader # of candidates # of seats won # of Constituency votes % of Constituency vote # of PR Block votes % of PR Block vote Government/opposition
2012 Shintaro Ishihara 172
54 / 480
 6,942,353 11.64% 12,262,228 20.50% opposition

Councillors election results
Election Leader # of seats total # of seats won # of National votes % of National vote # of Prefectural votes % of Prefectural vote Majority/Minority
2013 Shintaro Ishihara
9 / 252
8 / 126
 6,355,299 11.9% 3,846,649 7.2% Minority
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See also
  • Osaka Restoration Association

References
  1. ブリタニカ国際大百科事典 小項目事典の解説 [The Encyclopædia Britannica: Micropædia 's explanation]. kotobank.jp (in Japanese). The Asahi Shimbun Company. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  2. http://inside.org.au/japans-paradoxical-shift-to-the-right/
  3. "Japan's new drift: Neo-conservative or neo-imperialist?". Archived from the original on 2014-12-09. Retrieved 2013-07-24.
  4. http://inside.org.au/japans-paradoxical-shift-to-the-right/"On 12 September, the equally outspoken mayor of Osaka, Toru Hashimoto, launched his Japan Restoration Party, whose platform combines vehement nationalism, neoliberal economics and a radical overhaul of the political system"
  5. Japan Elections 2012: LDP Wins Majority In Parliamentary Elections
  6. Rydgren, Jens (2018). The Oxford Handbook of the Radical Right. Oxford University Press. p. 772. ISBN 978-0190274559. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  7. Japan's right-wing Liberals elected in landslide victory, CBC News, 17 December 2012
  8. "Shinzo Abe tightens his grip on power in Japan". The Australian. 22 July 2013.
  9. Japan Today/AP, "Ishihara, Hashimoto announce 'third force' in Japanese politics", "Japan Today", 18 November 2012
  10. Johnston, Eric, "Nippon Ishin no Kai: Local but with national outlook", Japan Times, 3 October 2012, p. 3
  11. Japan's ruling bloc wins upper house poll
  12. "UPDATE: Ruling coalition wins Upper House in landslide; breaks Diet gridlock". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-07-22.
  13. Abe cements power with LDP’s sweeping victory in Upper House race
  14. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-06-13. Retrieved 2016-07-13.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. Wolfgang, Ben (11 September 2014). "Japanese political upstarts fear Chinese aggression is filling U.S. leadership void". Washington Times. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  16. The Daily Yomiuri Nippon Ishin no Kai officially launched September 30, 2012 Retrieved on October 2, 2012
  17. Daily Yomiuri Nippon Ishin no Kai holds 1st meeting October 4, 2012 Retrieved on October 4, 2012
  18. Daily Yomiuri Nippon Ishin no Kai holds 1st general meeting October 8, 2012
  19. Japan Times EDITORIAL Mayor Hashimoto goes national September 15, 2012 Retrieved on October 2, 2012
  20. Inada, Miho; Dvorak, Phred. "Same-Sex Marriage in Japan: A Long Way Away?". The Wall Street Journal. September 20, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  21. "Japan Restoration Party platform". The Japan Times. April 4, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  22. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33546465
  23. Daily Yomiuri New parties merge forces / Taiyo no To dissolves to join Ishin no Kai; Ishihara named chief November 18, 2012
  24. Your Party to end alliance with Japan Restoration Party over Hashimoto's comments
  25. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-06-13. Retrieved 2016-07-13.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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