Nippon Ishin co-head Maehara, 3 other execs to step down

"It is important to renew the party's executive members to unite the party once again," Maehara said.

Maehara's successor is expected to be picked through a vote on Friday. According to related sources, Fumitake Fujita, former secretary-general, appears eager to run in the election.

Nippon Ishin is set to vote on Thursday on whether to hold a leadership election. But there is a growing view that the election will not be held and that its current leader, Hirofumi Yoshimura, will stay on.

The focus will be on whether Yoshimura can solidify the party's unity and gain a foothold for its rebuilding through the upcoming personnel changes.

The three party executives planning to resign, other than Maehara, are Secretary-General Ryohei Iwatani, general council chief Tsukasa Abe and parliamentary affairs head Joji Uruma.

Yoshimura told reporters in the city of Osaka, western Japan, on Tuesday that he plans to reshuffle the party's leadership team, including policy head Hitoshi Aoyagi.

"I take pride in results," Maehara said at the executive meeting, noting that Nippon Ishin was able to pave the way for realising its policy of making high school education free in exchange for voting for the fiscal 2025 state budget at parliament. He said, however, "I have to admit that the results have not led to greater party presence."

Fujita, who was a member of the executive team led by former party leader Nobuyuki Baba, is believed to be keeping a distance from Yoshimura.

Nippon Ishin won seven seats in the July 20 election for the upper chamber of parliament, exceeding its target of six, but the number of votes the party collected under the proportional representation system decreased significantly from the previous triennial Upper House election.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]