Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto resigned Tuesday as co-leader of Ishin no To (Japan Innovation Party) to focus on local elections in the spring, a move likely to further weaken the party's clout at the national level.
His co-leader, Kenji Eda, a Lower House lawmaker, became the sole president, party officials said after a general meeting of Ishin no To's Diet members.
Also Tuesday, Yorihisa Matsuno, who heads the party's group of lawmakers, succeeded Ichiro Matsui as secretary-general. Matsui is a longtime ally of Hashimoto.