Shiga Gov. Yukiko Kada was named a policy adviser to Nippon Mirai no To (Tomorrow Party of Japan) Sunday, ending her official leadership role with the ill-fated party she founded in late November for December's Lower House election.
Nippon Mirai made headlines after Ichiro Ozawa and his allies tied up with Kada. But Ozawa and seven allies then quit after the poll to form Seikatsu no To (Life Party), which has seven Lower House and eight Upper House members.
Nippon Mirai's Diet ranks were reduced to just one — Lower House member Tomoko Abe. With less than the minimum five Diet members needed to be recognized as an official political party, it's now just a political group, which means it is ineligible for public funding.