October 17, 2012
Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party), inaugurated in September with a great deal of fanfare, has already come to a deadlock in attempts to expand the organization.
The party was formed with about 150 politicians, such as local assembly members belonging to Osaka Ishin no Kai led by Osaka City Mayor Hashimoto Toru, Dietmembers who left other parties, and some local government heads in Osaka Prefecture.
However, JRP representative Hashimoto is putting the brakes on increasing its membership.
Hashimoto distanced himself from the Tokyo Ishin no Kai, a local party in consonance with policies of the JRP, because the Tokyo Ishin no Kai in the metropolitan assembly voted for a petition to replace the Japanese Constitution with the Constitution of the Great Empire of Japan under which the emperor had sovereign power as a “living god”. Of course, this announcement by the local party was criticized by the general public.
Hashimoto made excuses for the matter, saying, “The assemblymen of Tokyo Ishin no Kai are not yet members of the JRP,” and “I think the restoration of the prewar constitution is the talk of ‘fanatics’.”
The JRP is trying to establish a foothold around the nation to engage in the coming national elections. According to a newspaper, 23 political organizations and local assembly members groups in 15 prefectures have intentions of cooperating with or joining in the party.
What kind of political ideas do these groups have? For example, a JRP member of the Chiba City Assembly posted a message on his blog, saying, Japan will begin reviving when it is taken for granted that national leaders go and worship at the Yasukuni Shrine which proudly enshrined class-A war criminals. He thus shows his true character as a typical right-wing politician.
If the JRP joins hands with these rightist groups, it will quickly lose public support. If it breaks with them, it cannot expand its membership. The party is now faced with this dilemma.
The party was formed with about 150 politicians, such as local assembly members belonging to Osaka Ishin no Kai led by Osaka City Mayor Hashimoto Toru, Dietmembers who left other parties, and some local government heads in Osaka Prefecture.
However, JRP representative Hashimoto is putting the brakes on increasing its membership.
Hashimoto distanced himself from the Tokyo Ishin no Kai, a local party in consonance with policies of the JRP, because the Tokyo Ishin no Kai in the metropolitan assembly voted for a petition to replace the Japanese Constitution with the Constitution of the Great Empire of Japan under which the emperor had sovereign power as a “living god”. Of course, this announcement by the local party was criticized by the general public.
Hashimoto made excuses for the matter, saying, “The assemblymen of Tokyo Ishin no Kai are not yet members of the JRP,” and “I think the restoration of the prewar constitution is the talk of ‘fanatics’.”
The JRP is trying to establish a foothold around the nation to engage in the coming national elections. According to a newspaper, 23 political organizations and local assembly members groups in 15 prefectures have intentions of cooperating with or joining in the party.
What kind of political ideas do these groups have? For example, a JRP member of the Chiba City Assembly posted a message on his blog, saying, Japan will begin reviving when it is taken for granted that national leaders go and worship at the Yasukuni Shrine which proudly enshrined class-A war criminals. He thus shows his true character as a typical right-wing politician.
If the JRP joins hands with these rightist groups, it will quickly lose public support. If it breaks with them, it cannot expand its membership. The party is now faced with this dilemma.
