Japan Innovation Party Formally Announces Leadership Race; New Chief to be Chosen From 4 Candidates on Dec. 1

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:53 JST, November 17, 2024

The Japan Innovation Party on Sunday officially announced it would hold an election to choose a new leader, and four party members registered their candidacies.

Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura, House of Representatives lawmaker Ryuna Kanemura, lower house lawmaker Seiki Soramoto and House of Councillors member Shigefumi Matsuzawa will compete for the JIP’s top spot. The leadership race will focus on issues including how to rebuild the party’s momentum in the wake of its defeat in the latest general election.

The new leader will be elected at the JIP’s extra convention in Osaka on Dec. 1.

The number of lower house seats held by the JIP decreased by six, falling to 38, as a result of the lower house election. In proportional representation races, it secured about 5.1 million ballots, down about 3 million from the previous lower house poll.

Many JIP members are increasingly critical of current leader Nobuyuki Baba and urged him to take responsibility for the election’s outcome.

Based on the party’s rules, the JIP headquarters asked Diet members, local assembly members and local government heads belonging to the JIP whether an election should be held to choose a new leader. The majority opted for an election.

On Sunday, the four candidates delivered street addresses in Osaka City. During the campaign, they are scheduled to hold such events as an online discussion and a speech meeting in Tokyo and elsewhere.

In addition to regaining the party’s momentum ahead of the upper house election next summer, another point of contention will likely be whether the JIP will maintain its past policy of cooperating with the government and ruling camp on an issue-by-issue bassis, as the ruling camp lost its majority in the lower house.

There are 25,871 eligible voters in the party election, comprising 846 Diet members, local assembly members and special party members, and 25,025 rank-and-file members who have paid member fees for at least two years.

Both the special members and rank-and-file members cast one ballot each, and the candidate who gains the most ballots becomes the next party leader.