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Reiwa Shinsengumi

Reiwa Shinsengumi
れいわ新選組
Secretary-GeneralTakashi Takai
Co-leadersTaro Yamamoto
Akiko Oishi
Mari Kushibuchi
FounderTaro Yamamoto
Founded1 April 2019 (2019-04-01)
Split fromLiberal Party
Headquarters1F, Akasaka-Kōei Bldg. 3-2-6 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo
IdeologyProgressivism
Left-wing populism
Political positionLeft-wing[1][2][3][4]
Colors  Pink[5]
Slogan「日本を守る」とは、「あなたを守る」ことから始まる
Nihon wo mamoru to wa anata wo mamoru kotokara hajimaru
("Protecting Japan starts with protecting you")[6]
Councillors
6 / 248
Representatives
9 / 465
Prefectural assembly members
0 / 2,644
Municipal assembly members[7]
54 / 29,135
Website
reiwa-shinsengumi.com
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Reiwa Shinsengumi (れいわ新選組) is a progressive[8][9] and left-wing populist[10][11] political party in Japan founded by actor-turned-politician Taro Yamamoto in April 2019. The party was formed by left-wing members of the Liberal Party who opposed its merger with the Democratic Party for the People.[12] The party won more than 4% of the vote after contesting the House of Councilors election in July 2019, gaining two seats only about three and a half months after the formation of the party.[13]

The party is named after the current era name Reiwa and the Shinsengumi of the Bakumatsu period.[14]

History

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Founding

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Taro Yamamoto, a member of the House of Councillors for Tokyo, founded the party on 1 April 2019. This was with the intent of standing multiple candidates, including himself, in the upcoming House of Councillors election later in the year.[12] On 10 April, Yamamoto held a press conference and announced the party's platform.[15]

2019 House of Councillors election

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The party stood multiple candidates in the 2019 House of Councillors election. The party won 2.2 million votes in the national PR block, exceeding the 2% threshold needed to be recognised as a political party, and securing two seats. Nearly one million votes were cast for Yamamoto personally; however, because the party had nominated Yasuhiko Funago and Eiko Kimura, both of whom have disabilities,[a] ahead of him in the party list, Yamamoto did not win a seat.[16] The National Diet Building was adapted to allow barrier-free access for wheelchair users.

Notable party members include university professor Ayumi Yasutomi and former deputy representative of the North Korean abduction liaison Toru Hasuike.

2020 Tokyo gubernatorial election

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Yamamoto was one of the 22 candidates participating in the 2020 Tokyo gubernatorial election, coming in third place with 10.72% of the votes. The party promises included a direct cash handout programme due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[17]

2021 Japanese general election

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Yamamoto joined with the leaders of the Constitutional Democratic Party, Japanese Communist Party, and Social Democratic Party in running a joint opposition coalition based on common policy goals.[18] Yamamoto, who had been formerly running in Tokyo's 8th district, withdrew to run in the Tokyo PR block to avoid vote splitting against the CDP's Harumi Yoshida. The withdrawal came following pushback from local residents, who were hesitant to vote for Yamamoto, a "parachute candidate," over Yoshida, who had been active within the community for many years prior.[19] The party further withdrew 7 candidates as part of the joint platform to avoid vote splitting between the opposition parties, accounting for 40% of Reiwa Shinsengumi's planned slate of candidates.[20][21]

There were 20 other candidates besides Yamamoto running under the Reiwa Shinsengumi banner, including Takashi Takai, who was expelled from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan after ignoring COVID-19 state of emergency laws.[22] Takai was at that moment Reiwa Shinsengumi's only sitting legislator, formerly elected on the CDP list for the Chūgoku proportional representation block. Takai ran for Shiga Prefecture's 3rd District but was not elected.[23] Reiwa ultimately won 3 seats in the House of Representatives, electing Yamamoto, Akiko Oishi, and Hayato Kinoshita.[24]

2022 House of Councillors election

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Yamamoto announced his resignation from the House of Representatives seat to which he was elected in 2021 general election, and contested in Tokyo metropolitan constituency for the House of Councillors.[25] Reiwa gained three seats in the election, bringing their total to five: Yamamoto winning a seat in Tokyo, along with two other candidates who took up seats in the nationwide proportional representation block.[26][27]

2024 Japanese general election

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Reiwa Shinsengumi won 9 seats in the 2024 Japanese general election, tripling their seat count in the House of Representatives and winning 6.98% of the proportional representation vote.

2025 House of Councillors election

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Reiwa Shinsengumi won a total of 6 seats in the election, up 1 from 2019.

Ideology and policies

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Reiwa Shinsengumi has been described as progressive,[8][9] left-wing populist,[10][11][28] and sits on the left of the left–right political spectrum.[1][2][3][4] Some scholars classify the party's views as radical left-wing,[29] while others refer to the party as liberal.[30] The party is sometimes considered as progressive populist,[31] "liberal-populist,"[32] or fiscal populist.[33] Eder-Ramsauer and Matsutani describe Reiwa Shinsengumi as an eclectic left-wing populist party that blends emancipatory radical democratic politics with an openness to communitarian ideas whilst opposing neoliberalism.[34] Ulv Hanssen points out that the ideological stance that drives the party's populism is anti-neoliberal, a repudiation of neoliberal populism.[35] On the other hand, Axel Klein, who takes an ideational approach, writes that the party does not meet the criteria that define (left) populism.[36]

The party's platform emphasizes inclusivity and progressive social values, along with left-wing economic policies such as raising the minimum wage and raising taxes on the wealthy.[2] The party's top policy priorities include reducing or abolishing the consumption tax, strengthening progressive corporate taxation, raising the government-subsidized minimum wage to ¥1,500 per hour, forgiving student loan repayments, and expanding social welfare in general.[37] The party has made the Green New Deal its policy platform and believes a big government role is needed to solve problems.[38] Kamata writes that the party's economic policies are more radical than those of other Japanese political parties.[38] They use a populist and anti-establishment message to attract youngers and urban voters who tend to be left-wing and socially progressive leanings.[39]

The party takes a similar stance to the Japanese Communist Party including in its advocacy of pacifism in East Asia, anti-nuclear power.[28] Sam Bidwell describes the party as a fusion of the anti-nuclear movement and pacifist traditions of the Japanese leftist with the social progressivism and demagogic style of the Western leftist.[3] The party's manifesto states that it is necessary to focus on "exclusively defence-oriented policy" and "peaceful diplomacy" in order to contribute to peace in East Asia, and reiterates its opposition to nuclear weapons and supports peace in its security policy.[40] The party has defended Palestine and taken part in protests against Israel.[5]

The party is variously described as being anti-austerity, anti-establishment,[11][41][42] and anti-nuclear power[43] as well as supporting animal welfare,[43] minority rights,[43][44] and economic interventionism,[45] and the main supporters of this party are also left-liberals.[46][47]

According to their "Emergency Policies" document, the party supports reducing carbon emissions as fast as possible, reducing emissions by 70% by 2030 and reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, eradicating tuition fees and university debt, and providing free childcare, school lunches, afterschool activites, and medical expenses for children under 18.[48]

The party has announced that it would reverse/abolish many of the laws that were revised or passed by Prime Minister Shinzō Abe if elected, including the pre-emptive anti-terrorism law such as martial law State Secrecy Law and the 2015 Japanese military legislation.[citation needed]

The party is also notable for its activism outside of the Diet, including in street protests. Lawmakers such as Akiko Oishi and Mari Kushibuchi have been active in pro-Palestine street demonstrations.[49]

Leader

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No. Name
(Birth–death) 		Constituency / title Term of office Election results Image Prime Minister (term)
Took office Left office
Split from: a part of Liberal Party (2016) (centre-left)
1 Taro Yamamoto
(b. 1974) 		Cou for Tokyo
(21 July 2013 – 21 July 2019 and 25 July 2022 – present)
Rep for Tokyo PR block
(31 October 2021 – 15 April 2022) 		1 April 2019 Incumbent
2019
Unopposed
2022
Taro Yamamoto – 8.83
Mari Kushibuchi and Akiko Oishi – 4.36
Tsunehira Furuya – 3.81
 Abe S. 2012–2020
Suga 2020–2021
Kishida 2021–2024
Ishiba 2024–present

Election results

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House of Representatives

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Election Leader Candidates Seats Position Constituency votes PR Block votes Government
No. ± Share Number % Number %
2021 Taro Yamamoto 21
3 / 465
 new 0.6% 7th 248,280 0.43% 2,215,648 3.86% Opposition
2024 35
9 / 465
 Increase 6 1.9% Increase 6th 425,445 0.78% 3,805,060 6.98% Opposition

House of Councillors

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Election Leader Candidates Seats Nationwide Prefecture Status
Total Won Votes % Votes %
2019 Taro Yamamoto 10
2 / 245
2 / 124
 2,280,252 4.6 214,438 0.4 Opposition
2022 14
5 / 248
3 / 125
 2,319,157 4.4 989,716 1.9 Opposition
2025 24
6 / 248
3 / 125
 3,879,914 6.6 1,881,606 3.2 Opposition

Tokyo gubernatorial

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Election Candidate Votes % Finishing place Result
2020 Taro Yamamoto 657,277 10.72 3rd Lost

Tokyo prefectural

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Election Leader Votes % Seats
2021 Taro Yamamoto 37,299 0.80
0 / 127
2025 46,743 0.88
0 / 127

Notes

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  1. ^ Funago with ALS and Kimura with cerebral palsy

References

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  1. ^ a b
    • Thisanka Siripala (6 August 2019). "Japan's Upper House Election Results A Win for Diversity". The Diplomat. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
    • Daisuke Minami (2 August 2019). "Is Populism Finally Coming to Japan?". The Japan Times. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
    • "Japan's first severely disabled lawmakers join parliament". BBC News. 1 August 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Fahey, Hino & Pekkanen 2021, p. 341.
  3. ^ a b c Bidwell, Sam (5 August 2023). "Meet Taro Yamamoto: Japan's answer to AOC". UnHerd. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b Hino, Airo; Ogawa, Hiroki; Fahey, Robert A.; Liu, Ling (2023). "Japan: Political Developments and Data in 2022: A Shocking Assassination Sends Shockwaves Through the Ruling Party" (pdf). European Journal of Political Research Political Data Yearbook. 62 (1). European Consortium for Political Research: 290. doi:10.1111/2047-8852.1240. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  5. ^ a b Glasser, Brad (27 October 2024). "The 'Battle Royale' actor fighting Japan's conservative establishment". Semafor. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  6. ^ "れいわ新選組のチラシ" (in Japanese). れいわ新選組. 26 August 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  7. ^ "地方公共団体の議会の議員及び長の所属党派別人員調等（令和５年１２月３１日現在）" (PDF). 総務省. 10 April 2024.
  8. ^ a b Robert J. Pekkanen; Steven R. Reed; Daniel M. Smith, eds. (2023). Japan Decides 2021: The Japanese General Election. Springer Nature. p. 65. ISBN 9783031113246. Reiwa Shinsengumi is usually viewed as a progressive populist party.
  9. ^ a b Brasor, Philip (20 July 2019). "Citizen campaigns seek to increase voter turnout in Upper House election". The Japan Times. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  10. ^ a b
  11. ^ a b c Minami, Daisuke (2 August 2019). "Is Populism Finally Coming to Japan?". The Japan Times. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  12. ^ a b "山本太郎氏「れいわ新選組」設立 「この国の人々、お守りいたす」". The Sankei News (in Japanese). 10 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  13. ^ 「れいわ新選組」山本太郎氏が立ち上げ 野党結集が狙い. Asahi Shimbun Digital (in Japanese). 11 April 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  14. ^ Pekkanen & Reed 2023, pp. 64–65.
  15. ^ 山本太郎・参院議員が新党『れいわ新選組』を結党 消費税廃止を公約に [House of Councillors member Taro Yamamoto founds a new party called "Reiwa Shinsengumi" with a pledge to abolish the consumption tax] (in Japanese). 12 April 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  16. ^ "Reiwa Shinsengumi makes splash in Japanese election debut, giving voice to people with disabilities". 22 July 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  17. ^ Submission, Internal (15 June 2020). "Reiwa Shinsengumi leader Taro Yamamoto to run for Tokyo governor". The Japan Times. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  18. ^ Johnston, Eric (13 October 2021). "Major opposition parties in Japan unite in attempt to dislodge LDP". The Japan Times. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  19. ^ 「山本太郎氏に鼻をつまんで投票しない」 東京8区で街頭抗議 [Protesters in Tokyo 8th district vow not to vote for Taro Yamamoto]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). 10 October 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  20. ^ れいわ・山本太郎氏 ドタバタ比例立候補で失った「山本太郎」の名前…無効票危惧（東スポWeb）. Yahoo! News Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 18 October 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  21. ^ Kitami, Hideki. "Opposition leader does about-face after backlash". The Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  22. ^ "CDP lawmaker expelled from party over hostess bar visit amid emergency". The Japan Times. 15 April 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  23. ^ れいわ、立民除籍の高井氏を擁立 衆院選滋賀３区 [Reiwa [Shinsengumi] nominates Takai, who was expelled from the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), as their candidate for the Shiga 3rd district in the House of Representatives election]. Kyoto Shimbun (in Japanese). 5 October 2021. Archived from the original on 5 October 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  24. ^ "第49回衆議院議員選挙（衆議院議員総選挙）2021年10月31日投票 ｜ 選挙ドットコム". 選挙ドットコム (in Japanese). Retrieved 6 April 2025.
  25. ^ "Japan party leader Taro Yamamoto resigns from lower house, sets sights on upper chamber". Mainichi Daily News. 15 April 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  26. ^ "参院選 東京 選挙速報・開票結果【随時更新】". 読売新聞オンライン (in Japanese). 22 June 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  27. ^ "LDP, Constitutional Revisionists Strong in 2022 Upper House Election". nippon.com. 11 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  28. ^ a b Ninivaggi, Gabriele (18 April 2023). "Why left-wing parties in Japan are failing to attract young voters". The Japan Times. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  29. ^ Mizushima, Jiro (18 July 2022). "ポピュリズムが支持される理由" [Why populism is gaining support]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved 18 July 2022. ... れいわ新選組のような急進左派的な主張を掲げる新しい政党が支持を集めてきており ... [... On the other hand, new political parties with radical left views, such as Reiwa Shinsengumi, are gaining support ...]
  30. ^ Nakano, Yuko (12 December 2024). "A New Normal?: Navigating Japan's Shifting Political Currents". Center for Strategic and International Studies. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  31. ^ Pekkanen & Reed 2023, p. 65.
  32. ^ Ueda 2021, p. 136.
  33. ^ "「103万円の壁」は給付付き税額控除で". 日本経済新聞 (in Japanese). 8 November 2024. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  34. ^ "Varieties of Populism in Japan Reiwa Shinsengumi". Taylor & Francis eBooks. Taylor & Francis. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  35. ^ Hanssen 2021, p. 77.
  36. ^ Klein 2020, p. 13.
  37. ^ Hanssen 2021, p. 74.
  38. ^ a b Kamata, Jiro (27 March 2025). "In Japan, the Radicalness of Yamamoto Taro Meets the Moment". The Diplomat. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  39. ^ Fahey, Hino & Pekkanen 2021, p. 342.
  40. ^ Isaksson, Erik (2025). "Beyond 'revisionism and status quo': Japanese political party discourse on 'international order' and 'Ukraine'" (pdf). Cambridge Review of International Affairs. Taylor & Francis: 15. doi:10.1080/09557571.2025.2477797. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  41. ^ "Reiwa Shinsengumi makes splash in Japanese election debut, giving voice to people with disabilities". The Japan Times. 22 July 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  42. ^ "Man with Lou Gehrig's disease wins seat in Japan's parliament for 1st time". Kyodo News. 22 July 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  43. ^ a b c 政策 れいわ新選組. reiwa-shinsengumi.com (in Japanese). 11 July 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  44. ^ "New anti-establishment political group makes big strides in Japan". Kyodo News+. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  45. ^ Blondy, Théophile (21 July 2019). "Le Reiwa Shinsengumi un parti " populiste "". Le Petit Journal (in French). Retrieved 26 July 2019. Le programme appelle directement et sur presque tous les sujets à un interventionnisme plus marqué de l'Etat;
  46. ^ "El PLD del asesinado Shinzo Abe logra una holgada victoria en los comicios en Japón" [Murdered Shinzo Abe's LDP Achieves a Hollow Victory in Commissions in Japan]. El HuffPost (in Spanish). 11 July 2022. El Partido Comunista de Japón ha logrado en estos comicios 4 escaños, que junto a los que ya tenía en la otra mitad suman 11; y el liberal Reiwa Shinsengumi (liberal), 3 asientos, hasta sumar 5, según los resultados divulgados. El resto de escaños se han repartido entre partidos minoritarios y candidatos independientes. [The Communist Party of Japan has won 4 seats in these elections, which together with those it already had in the other half add up to 11; and the liberal Reiwa Shinsengumi (liberal), 3 seats, up to a total of 5, according to the published results. The rest of the seats have been distributed between minority parties and independent candidates.]
  47. ^ Helen Hardacre; Timothy S. George; Keigo Komamura; Franziska Seraphim, eds. (2021). Japanese Constitutional Revisionism and Civic Activism. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 86. ISBN 9781793609052. Reiwa Shinsengumi—a new party formed after the 2019 House of Councillors' election, single-handedly carrying the hopes of left-wing liberals—and the Communist Party jointly demanded "protection of Article 9 as is" (kyūjō goken).
  48. ^ "トップページ – れいわ新選組" (in Japanese). 2 November 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
  49. ^ "Japan's Pro-Palestine Lawmakers Hold on to their Seats in Parliament Elections". Palestine Chronicle. Retrieved 14 April 2025.

Further reading

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