Just before the Upper House election campaign kicked off on June 22, Osaka Ishin no Kai leaders were plotting their schedules for the days leading up to Sunday's poll.
The national party, which was formed last November, was in trouble, having lost a Lower House runoff election earlier this year and unable to gain much traction outside its Osaka base. It was without its charismatic leader and co-founder, Toru Hashimoto, who had left local politics last year after stepping down as Osaka mayor. Osaka Ishin candidates hoped Hashimoto would come out of his self-imposed retirement and help them campaign.
Instead, Hashimoto was in the United Kingdom, following Conservative Party MP Boris Johnson, the U.K. Independence Party, and the faction that wanted the U.K. to leave the European Union — a move he appears to have supported after they won the referendum last month. On his return to Osaka, Hashimoto said he had no interest in actively campaigning for Osaka Ishin candidates.