NHK Party Leader Quits amid Strife over Absent Upper House Member

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:08 JST, March 9, 2023

Takashi Tachibana resigned as leader of the NHK Party on Wednesday, announcing the move at a press conference at the Diet on the same day.

His successor as party leader is former child actor Ayaka Otsu.

Tachibana also said the party would change its name to Seijika Joshi 48 Party.

The party’s House of Councillors member GaaSyy, whose real name is Yoshikazu Higashitani, has never been present for a Diet session since winning a seat last year. He was absent from the upper house’s plenary session on Wednesday, thereby disobeying an order from the upper house that he apologize in the House of Councillors chamber on that date as a penalty for his long absence.

“I have to take responsibility as the party leader,” Tachibana said in the wake of the development.

Tachibana quit as an upper house member in 2019, but had remained as the party leader until Wednesday.