TOKYO -- Until a few years ago, Nippon Ishin, or the Japan Innovation Party, was a relatively small political force. Now, the group that has focused on local governmental reforms in Osaka is endeavoring to become the top opposition party in the next general election, challenging Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
In the nationwide local elections and parliamentary by-elections last month, Ishin made significant progress. A total of 599 Ishin candidates won local assembly, mayoral and gubernatorial posts, increasing its total number of local officeholders by around 70%. It also won one of the five by-elections, preventing an LDP sweep.
