TOKYO: Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party) decided Wednesday to hold a leadership election Dec. 1, in the wake of its poor result in the Oct. 27 general election.
Candidacy registration to kick off the official campaign period is set for Nov. 17.
Nippon Ishin’s rules stipulate that the party decide within 45 days of a national or unified local election on whether to hold a party leadership election.
In electronic voting by party lawmakers, regional assembly members and others that closed on Wednesday night, 696 voters were in favor of holding a leadership election, and 56 against.
Nippon Ishin in last month’s election for the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the country’s parliament, won all 19 single-seat constituencies in Osaka Prefecture, its home base.
But it fared poorly in other regions. The number of its total Lower House seats decreased by five to 38.
Some believe that the outcome stemmed from the party’s poor handling of major issues, namely a proposed revision of the political funds control law and alleged problematic behavior of former Hyogo Governor Motohiko Saito, who had won the post with support from Nippon Ishin.
This has led some party members to demand Nippon Ishin leader Nobuyuki Baba’s resignation. Baba himself has not announced whether he will step down or seek another term.
When he appeared on television shortly after the Lower House election, Baba said he “will have no choice” but to think about his next move if an overwhelming number of party members call for a party leadership election.
JIJI Press