A decade after the Osaka-centered opposition party was formed with the purpose of becoming a true national force and ousting the Liberal Democratic Party from power, the Japan Innovation Party now finds itself the junior member of the LDP ruling coalition as it prepares for the Feb. 8 general election.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi abruptly dissolved parliament and called an election in February for the first time in 36 years in the hope of seeking a public mandate on the ruling coalition, which the JIP only joined in October after Komeito’s departure.
The JIP (also known as Nippon Ishin no Kai) hopes that being on the inside of government rather than the outside will be seen by voters nationwide as a sign of the party’s strength — the coalition partner that doesn’t act as a brake on Takaichi’s administration but the accelerator, keeping firm pressure on her and her party to move faster in implementing policies.
AloJapan.com