It was like deja vu: Rank-and-file members of Kibo no To (Party of Hope), the nation's second largest opposition party, had been kept in the dark until the very last minute.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike suddenly announced Tuesday her resignation as the party's president, shocking party members and drawing strong criticism from the public.
This is the second time she has abruptly abandoned the top position of a new party she herself established. She quit as the head of Tomin First no Kai (Tokyoites First) on July 3, just a day after the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election, saying she would like to concentrate on her job as governor.