Five years after Nippon Ishin no Kai first appeared on the national stage with promises of changing the country through an Osaka-based revolution, the party's future is in doubt following a crushing defeat in the Oct. 22 Lower House election.
The party that captured 54 seats in the December 2012 election, including 12 in Osaka, managed to win just 11 seats nationwide this time, with only three in its home base of Osaka Prefecture and two proportional seats in the Kinki bloc. Nippon Ishin leader and Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui has hinted he might resign if a successor can be found.
"If party leaders call a conference and someone decides to run for leadership, I'd welcome that," Matsui said last week. "I'll make a decision about my own position at that time."