With Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto's last day in office coming on Friday, Osaka Ishin no Kai, the national political party he also provisionally led, now faces life in the post-Hashimoto era.
On Saturday, Hashimoto formally resigned as party leader, passing its management — and the hopes of the entire Ishin movement — off to Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui and a small group of Osaka-based politicians who must convince voters they can turn a party with 19 Diet members into a major political force without Hashimoto at the helm.
In addition to Matsui, former internal affairs minister and veteran Upper House member Toranosuke Katayama was appointed co-leader. Other party leaders expected to be confirmed by the end of the month include Osaka-based Lower House member Nobuyuki Baba as secretary general and Osaka prefectural assemblyman Hitoshi Asada as policy chief.