Japanese party to appoint AI leader as founder quits after election loss

Published on: Sept 18, 2025 10:04 am IST

A political party in Japan announced it would install AI as its leader after suffering defeats in recent elections.

A small Japanese political party announced on Tuesday that it will appoint artificial intelligence as its new leader, following the sudden departure of its founder after disappointing election results, AFP reported.

In Japan, a small party turned to AI for leadership after failing to win seats.(Representational image/Unsplash)

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The Path to Rebirth party was launched in January by Shinji Ishimaru, a former mayor of a small city in western Japan. The party does not operate on a unified policy platform, instead allowing its members to pursue individual agendas.

Ishimaru initially drew national attention when he secured second place in the 2024 Tokyo gubernatorial election, largely through a strong online campaign. However, after the party failed to win any seats in this year’s upper house elections, Ishimaru stepped down.

AI chosen as successor

“The new leader will be AI,” said Koki Okumura, a 25-year-old doctoral student at Kyoto University, during a news conference. He introduced himself as an assistant to the AI leader and explained that he would be the party’s nominal head.

Details about the artificial intelligence are yet to be finalised, including when and how it will be implemented. Okumura clarified that the AI would not control political activities of members but would oversee functions such as distributing party resources.

Okumura recently won an internal contest to succeed Ishimaru, positioning himself as the human link between the AI system and the party.

Struggles in elections

Despite drawing media attention for its unconventional approach, the Path to Rebirth has failed to make an impact at the ballot box. All 42 of its candidates lost in the Tokyo assembly election held in June. The party’s 10 candidates in the upper house election in July also failed to secure seats.

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