JIP Struggles Outside Home Turf of Osaka

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:18 JST, February 9, 2026

The Japan Innovation Party, which faced its first test as a ruling party in Sunday’s House of Representatives election, aimed to secure at least 38 seats it won in the last lower house election in 2024, but in the end it struggled outside its home turf of Osaka.

On Sunday, the party added two seats to the number it held before the lower house was dissolved for a total of 34.

For the most part, the JIP opted not to coordinate candidates with the Liberal Democratic Party, resulting in it going head-to-head against its coalition partner in 85 of the 87 districts where it fielded candidates. Many JIP candidates had a difficult run as support from industry groups, which usually goes to the parties expected to rule after the election, tended to go to the LDP.

In the 2024 lower house election, the JIP won all 19 constituencies in Osaka Prefecture. But it lost one of these districts to the LDP on Sunday.

JIP candidates also struggled to differentiate themselves from their LDP counterparts, since many JIP campaign pledges were based on coalition agreements.

Capitalizing on Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s popularity, the JIP stressed in its campaign that the party would “advance the reforms that Takaichi is advocating. The JIP will act as an accelerator to this end.” But the message failed to resonate with many voters.

Last month, JIP leader Hirofumi Yoshimura and deputy leader Hideyuki Yokoyama resigned as Osaka’s governor and mayor, and on Sunday, elections for these posts were held in conjunction with the lower house election. They were trying for a third time to realize their “Osaka metropolis plan,” a major goal of the party.

Although both men were reelected, the party was unable to enjoy the significant synergy on a national scale that it had expected.

Speaking at a press conference Sunday evening, Yoshimura said, “It was an extremely tough and difficult election. It wouldn’t have been surprising if Takaichi’s momentum blew us away.”

The JIP will now face a new challenge: making itself heard in the coalition.