Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, any organization that supports a candidate needs to register itself as a political party. Each of these parties have some local or national influence. This article lists political parties in Japan with representation in the

National Diet The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (Japan), House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (Japan), House of Councillors (, ...

, either in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

(Japan's

lower house A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...

) or in the

House of Councillors The is the upper house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers. If the two houses disagree on matters of the budget, treaties, ...

(Japan's

upper house An upper house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smalle ...

). The article also mentions political parties within the nation that either used to be within representation, or parties that currently are.

Parties currently represented in the National Diet

Legal status as a political party (''seitō'') is tied to having five members in the Diet or at least two percent nationally of either proportional or local vote in the last Representatives or one of the last two Councillors elections. Political parties receive public party funding (¥ 250 per citizen, about ¥ 32 bill. in total per fiscal year, distributed according to recent national elections results – last HR general and last two HC regular elections – and Diet strength on January 1), are allowed to concurrently nominate candidates for the House of Representatives in an electoral district and on a proportional list, may take political donations from legal persons, i.e. corporations, and other benefits such as air time on public broadcaster NHK.

Parties currently represented in prefectural and municipal assemblies

Under Japanese law, all of the parties below are "political organizations" (''seiji dantai''), not "political parties" (''seitō'', see above). * New Socialist Party (''Shin-Shakaitō''), a left breakaway group from the Japanese Socialist Party, created in 1996 when the latter formed the Social Democratic Party; the New Socialist Party was represented in the national Diet from 1996 to 1998. *

Greens Japan The is an established national green party in Japan. After the electoral success of Green activist Ryuhei Kawada in the 2007 House of Councillors election, the local green political network Rainbow and Greens had reportedly decided to disso ...

(''Midori no Tō'', lit. "Green Party"), created in 2012 as the successor of Greens Japan (''Midori no Mirai'', lit. "Green Future"), a green party formed by the merger of the conservative-green Greens Japan (''Midori no Table'', "Green Table") and the left-wing-green

Rainbow and Greens Rainbow and Greens (虹と緑, ''Niji to Midori'') was a Green political organization in Japan from 1998–2008. It was a nationwide network of prefectural assembly members, usually running on local platforms variously named as "living citizen n ...

(''Niji to Midori'') in 2008. * Several member organizations of the Japan People's Political Network, a federation of local consumer movements that entered politics in the 1970s (includes the

Tokyo Seikatsusha Network The Tokyo Seikatsusha Network (東京・生活者ネットワーク, ''Tōkyō Seikatsusha Nettowāku'') is a local Japanese political party affiliated with Tokyo Seikatsu Club, a consumer's cooperative. It is generally moderate left, and ten ...

and the Kanagawa Network Movement)

Prefectural and local parties

* Chiiki Seitō Iwate ("Iwate regional party", 2010–) of former Social Democrats and independents * Kyoto Party (''Kyōto-tō'', 2010–) *

Osaka Restoration Association The , also referred to as One Osaka, is a regional political party in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Founded in 2010 by then-Governor Tōru Hashimoto, its main platform is pursuing the Osaka Metropolis plan of merging the prefecture and some of its ci ...

(''Ōsaka Ishin no Kai''), the dominant party in Ōsaka prefecture formed by the former governor

Tōru Hashimoto is a Japanese TV personality, politician and lawyer. He was the mayor of Osaka city and is a member of Nippon Ishin no Kai and the Osaka Restoration Association. He is one of Japan's leading right-wing conservative-populist politicians. Early ...

who wants to dissolve Ōsaka city and Sakai city and turn them into

Special wards are a special form of municipalities in Japan under the 1947 Local Autonomy Law. They are city-level wards: primary subdivisions of a prefecture with municipal autonomy largely comparable to other forms of municipalities. Although the autono ...

of Ōsaka. Affiliated with the Osaka Ishin no Kai that was formed in October 2015. * Tokyoites First Party (''Tomin First no Kai'') *

Okinawa Social Mass Party is a local political party in Okinawa, Japan. The party's name is abbreviated as or . The party primarily adheres to social democracy. History The party was founded on 31 October 1950 during the US occupation of the region. On 29 April 1952, t ...

(''Okinawa Shakai Taishū-tō''), formerly the Okinawa Socialist Mass Party. *

Political Group of Okinawa Revolution The is a local political party in Okinawa, Japan. ''Seitō'' means "political party", while ''sōzō'' may mean or . The party is considered as largely conservative. The party was founded on December 27, 2005 by Mikio Shimoji. He has been the ...

(''Sōzō'', lit. ''Creation''), Okinawa regionalist party formed by LDP defectors in 2005, represented in the national Diet from 2005 to 2008, merged with the PNP Okinawa prefectural federation in 2012, keeping its name * Green Niigata, ''Midori Niigata'' ( Niigata, communist) ** formerly Niigata New Party for People, ''Shimin Shin-tō Niigata'' (Niigata, communist) *

Kariyushi Club The , formerly known as the , is a local political party in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, seeking an independent Ryukyu, the . The current party leader is . ''Kariyushi'' is Okinawan for "happy" or "harmony with nature". History The party was fo ...

''Kariyushi Kurabu'' (Okinawa, independentist)

Other minor parties

Existing national parties represented in the Diet in the past

Current political parties that used to be in the Diet but are not currently represented: * ''Rikken Yōseikai'' ( far right, 1923–1942, 1946–) *

Dainiin Club The Dainiin Club (第二院クラブ) is a political party in the Upper House of Japan. The word "Dainiin" (第二院) means the House of Councillors (参議院 ''Sangiin''). The direct meaning of "''Dainiin''" in Japanese is "The 2nd House". In ...

''Dainiin Kurabu'' (1983–) * New Party for Salaried Men ''Sararīman Shintō'' (centrist, 1983–) * ''Takeru'' (centrist, 2001–) *

Happiness Realization Party The , abbreviated as Kōfuku (), is a Japanese political party founded by Ryuho Okawa on 23 May 2009 "in order to offer the Japanese people a third option" for the elections of August 2009. The HRP is the political wing of the conservative Happ ...

(far right, 2009–)

Other parties

Japan has other minor parties not represented in Parliament (which have never been represented before), some are new, others with

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

and

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

ideologies, as well as a few

nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Th ...

reformist Reformism is a political doctrine advocating the reform of an existing system or institution instead of its abolition and replacement. Within the socialist movement, reformism is the view that gradual changes through existing institutions can ...

, and far-right parties. Some of them include: *

National Socialist Japanese Workers' Party is a small neo-Nazi political party in Japan. It is headed by Kazunari Yamada, who maintains a website and blog which includes praise for Adolf Hitler and the September 11 attacks. Pictures of Yamada, a Holocaust-denier, posing with Cabinet ...

(far right) (1982–present) *

Japan Nation Party The is a minor nationalist party in Japan that was founded in 1988. , it is not represented in either chamber of the Diet of Japan. Political ideology The Japan Nation Party is on the political right. It promotes nationalism National ...

(nationalist) (1988–present) * '' Ishin Seitō Shimpū'' (far-right) (1995–present) * Tokyo Tea Party (inspired by the U.S.

Tea Party movement The Tea Party movement was an American fiscally conservative political movement within the Republican Party that began in 2009. Members of the movement called for lower taxes and for a reduction of the national debt and federal budget defi ...

) (2010–present) * Ainu Party, party representing the rights of the

Ainu people The Ainu are the indigenous people of the lands surrounding the Sea of Okhotsk, including Hokkaido Island, Northeast Honshu Island, Sakhalin Island, the Kuril Islands, the Kamchatka Peninsula and Khabarovsk Krai, before the arrival of the Y ...

. *

Japan First Party The is a far-right politics, far-right List of political parties in Japan, political party in Japan founded by Makoto Sakurai. History On August 15, 2016, Sakurai announced in front of a crowd at the annual gathering to protest the Hantenren in ...

(far-right) (2016–present) * Pirate Party Japan, based on the Swedish Pirate Party *

Greater Japan Patriotic Party The , frequently abbreviated to Aikokutō (愛国党, ''Aikokutō''), is a Japanese political party and Uyoku dantai, far-right political group. It was created in 1951 by Right-wing politics, right-wing Ultranationalism, ultranationalist Bin Akao, ...

(far-right) (1951-present)

Defunct parties

Graph of mainstream Non-LDP parties of Japan

Former major parties

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

(''Jiyūtō''): initially Constitutional Liberal Party (''Rikken Jiyūtō''), the strongest party in the early House of Representatives and the mainstream liberal opposition to government military spending and foreign policy (1890–1898) * Progressive Party ('' Shinpotō''): created during a temporary alliance between Liberals and the oligarchy (1896–1898) * Constitutional Party (''

Kenseitō The was a political party in the Meiji period Empire of Japan. History The ''Kenseitō'' was founded in June 1898, as a merger of the Shimpotō headed by Ōkuma Shigenobu and the Liberal Party (Jiyūtō) led by Itagaki Taisuke, with Ōkuma as pa ...

''): formed by a merger of Liberal and Progressive Party (1898–1900) * True Constitutional Party (''

Kensei Hontō The Kensei Hontō ( ja, 憲政本党) was a political party in Japan. History The party was established on 3 November 1898 following a split in the Kenseitō. Kenseitō had been formed earlier in the year by a merger of the Liberal Party and Shim ...

''): breakaway of liberals discontented with the alliance with the government (1898–1910) * '' Rikken Seiyūkai'': formed in 1900 by a now permanent alliance between parts of the Meiji oligarchy, the bureaucracy and members of the liberal parties it became the dominant force in party politics throughout the Empire (1900–1940) * Constitutional People's Party (''

Rikken Kokumintō The Rikken Kokumintō ( ja, 立憲国民党, , "Constitutional Nationalist Party") was a minor political party in the Empire of Japan. It was also known as simply the Kokumintō. History The ''Kokumintō'' was founded in March 1910, by a merger o ...

'', created in a merger of the True Constitutional Party with smaller groups, the party pushed the government for an expansion of constitutional rights (1910–1922) *

Rikken Dōshikai The Rikken-Dōshi Kai ( ja, 立憲同志会, , Association of Comrades of the Constitution) was a political party active in the Empire of Japan in the early years of the 20th century. It was also known as simply the Dōshikai. Founded by Prime Mi ...

(1913–1916), another attempt by Katsura Tarō to form a strong opposition to the Seiyūkai (1913–1916) * Constitutional Assembly (''

Kenseikai The was a short-lived political party in the pre-war Empire of Japan. History The ''Kenseikai'' was founded on 10 October 1916, as a merger of the '' Rikken Dōshikai'' (led by Katō Takaaki), '' Chūseikai'' (led by Ozaki Yukio) and the '' ...

'', the core group of the constitutional movement in the Taishō era (1916–1927) * True Seiyū Party ('' Seiyū Hontō''): a Seiyūkai breakaway during the "three constitutional factions" (''goken sampa'') alliance between Seiyūkai, Kenseikai and Kakushin Club ("Reform Club") (1923–1926) * Constitutional Democratic Party (''

Rikken Minseitō was one of the main political parties in pre-war Empire of Japan. It was commonly known as the ''Minseitō''. History The ''Minseitō'' was founded on 1 June 1927, by a merger of the ''Kenseikai'' and the ''Seiyu Hontō'' political parties. I ...

'', main opponent of the Seiyūkai in the final years of party rule and during the rise of the military (1927–1940) *

Imperial Rule Assistance Association The , or Imperial Aid Association, was the Empire of Japan's ruling organization during much of World War II. It was created by Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe on 12 October 1940, to promote the goals of his ("New Order") movement. It evolved i ...

(1940–1945) * Japanese Liberal Party (JLP or LP; ''Nihon Jiyūtō'', mainstream democratic conservative party around former Seiyūkai politicians (1945–1948) * Japanese Progressive Party (''Nihon Shinpotō''): conservative party around former Minseitō politicians (1945–1947) *

Japanese Socialist Party The was a socialist and progressive political party in Japan that existed from 1945 to 1996. The party was founded as the Social Democratic Party of Japan by members of several proletarian parties that existed before World War II, including ...

(JSP; ''Nihon Shakaitō''): divided into Left JSP and Right JSP in the early 1950s), a small minority before the war, the Socialists became the main opposition to the soon united conservatives, but continually lost ground to more centrist opposition parties over the decades (1945–1996) * Summer breeze assembly ('' Ryokufūkai'', reestablished several times after), created as the largest parliamentary group in the first House of Councillors by conservatives and some liberals and moderate socialists including a number of former House of Peers members, it had a centrist approach and was willing to work with centre-left and centre-right cabinets (1947–1960) *

Democratic Party (1947) The , officially () was a conservative political party in Japan. History The party was founded in spring 1947 by merging the Progressive Party (Shinpo-tō) of Inukai Takeru with a faction of Liberal Party led by Hitoshi Ashida and obtained 124 ...

(DP; ''Minshutō''): created by the Progressive Party and a Liberal breakaway group, the party tried to occupy the "centre" between Liberals and Socialists, but was soon divided over cooperation with either group (1947–1950) * Democratic Liberal Party (DLP or LP; ''Minshujiyūtō'', created from the Liberal Party when Democrats opposed to the coalition with the Socialists joined it (1948–1950) *

(LP; ''Jiyūtō''): created after the Democrats had finally split over cooperation with the Liberal government, but soon divided itself into followers of first JLP president Hatoyama Ichirō who returned to politics when the SCAP purge was lifted and the "Yoshida school" of his successor Yoshida Shigeru. forefather of Liberal Democratic Party (1950–1955) * Japanese Democratic Party (JDP; ''Nihon Minshutō''): Hatoyama-led breakaway from the liberals merged with smaller groups including the opposition remnants of the Democratic Party; the "conservative merger" (''hoshu gōdō'') of 1955 united Liberal Party and Japanese Democratic Party in the Liberal Democratic Party that dominated postwar politics for decades. Forefather of Liberal Democratic Party. (1954–1955) * New Frontier Party (NFP; ''Shinshintō'', lit. "New Progressive Party"), formed after an anti-LDP government had collapsed to create a unified opposition party ranging from socialists to conservatives (1994–1997) *

Democratic Party of Japan The was a centristThe Democratic Party of Japan was widely described as centrist: * * * * * * * to centre-left liberal or social-liberal political party in Japan from 1998 to 2016. The party's origins lie in the previous Democratic Part ...

(DPJ; ''Minshutō''): the DPJ was founded in 1998 as a result of the merger of several anti-LDP opposition parties, and was the ruling party in 2009–2012. Its membership covered a broad spectrum of political beliefs, but it was generally considered a

centrist Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to Left-w ...

party. (1998–2016) *

Japan Restoration Party The , also referred to in English as the Japan Restoration Association, was a Japanese political party. It was launched on 12 September 2012 and gained official recognition on 28 September 2012. The party grew from the regional Osaka Restoration ...

(JRP; ''Nippon Ishin no Kai''): the JRP was founded by

the Governor of Osaka Prefectire in 2012 as a result of the merger of several right-wing regional parties, and was the third biggest political block in the National Diet. (2012–2014) *

Japan Innovation Party The was a political party in Japan. It was launched on 22 September 2014, following the merger of the Japan Restoration Party headed by Tōru Hashimoto, and the Unity Party, led by Kenji Eda. On 27 March 2016 the party merged with the Democra ...

(JIP; ''Ishin no Tō''): formed by a merger of the right-wing JRP and centre-right Unity Party, the Osaka regional group split off the JIP as Initiatives from Osaka in 2015 and the centre-right JIP later merged with the DPJ. (2014–2016) *

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

(DP; ''Minshintō''): formed by a merger of the remainder of JIP and the DPJ, the party splinter during the 2017 general election among four groups: the centre-left CDP, the centre-right

Kibō no Tō was a conservative political party in Japan founded by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike. The party was founded just before the call of the 2017 general election. The party's ideology was mainly Japanese conservatism and nationalism. Kibō no Tō ...

, group of centre align independent block, and the a centre align block remain with the DP. After the election, the more left-leaning centre group join the CDP or remain independent, while the right-leaning centre group merged with the Kibō no Tō to established the

DPP DPP may stand for: Business *Digital Production Partnership, of UK public service broadcasters * Direct Participation Program, a financial security * Discounted payback period Photography * Digital Photo Professional, Canon software Law en ...

. (2016–2018)

Others

Pre- and early constitutional era

Freedom and People's Rights Movement The (abbreviated as ) or Popular Rights Movement was a Japanese political and social movement for democracy in the 1880s. It pursued the formation of an elected legislature, revision of the Unequal Treaties with the United States and European c ...

and liberal parties in the early House of Representatives ** Public Party of Patriots (''

Aikoku Kōtō The was a political party in Meiji-period Japan. The ''Aikoku Kōtō'' was formed in January 1874 by Itagaki Taisuke, Etō Shinpei, Gotō Shōjirō and others as part of the Freedom and People's Rights Movement. Its purpose was to petition the ...

'', 1874, briefly reestablished in 1890 and merged into the (Rikken) Jiyūtō) ** Self-help Society (''Risshisha'', 1874–1883) ** Patriot Society (''

Aikokusha The was a political party in the early Meiji-period Japan from 1875 to 1880. The Aikokusha was formed in February 1875 by Itagaki Taisuke, as part a liberal political federation to associate his '' Risshisha'' with the Freedom and People's Rig ...

'', 1875–1880) **

(''Jiyūtō'', 1881–1884) ** Constitutional Progressive Party (''

Rikken Kaishintō The was a political party in Empire of Japan. It was also known as simply the Kaishintō. The Kaishintō was founded by Ōkuma Shigenobu on 16 April 1882, with the assistance of Yano Ryūsuke, Inukai Tsuyoshi and Ozaki Yukio. It received fin ...

'', 1882–1896), merged with other groups to form the Progressive Party (Shinpotō) ** Daidō Club (1889–1890) ** Liberal Party (''Jiyūtō'', 1890), merged with other groups to form the Rikken Jiyūtō ** Oriental Liberal Party ('' Tōyō Jiyūtō'', 1892–1893), asianist, radical liberal * Opponents and "moderate faction" (''onwa-ha'', meaning pro-government; also ''ritō'', "official parties") in the early House of Representatives ** Constitutional Imperial Rule Party (''

Rikken Teiseitō The was a short-lived conservative political party in the Meiji period Empire of Japan. It was also known as simply the Teiseitō. History The Teiseitō was founded in March 1882, by the editor of the '' Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun,'' Fukuchi G ...

'', 1882–1883) ** Great Achievement Association ('' Taiseikai'', 1890–1891) ** People's Liberal Party (''Kokumin Jiyūtō'', 1890–1891) ** Central Negotiations Assembly (''Chūō Kōshōkai'', 1892–1893) ** People's Association ('' Kokumin Kyōkai'', 1892–1899) ** Great Japanese Association (''Dainihon Kyōkai'', 1893) ** Independent Club (''Dokuritsu Club'') ** Same-minded Club (''Dōshi Club'')

Empire of Japan until 1940

* Imperial Party ('' Teikokutō'', 1899–1905) * Daidō Club (1905–1910) * '' Yūkōkai'' (1906–1908) * Centre Club (''

Chūō Club The Chūō Club ( ja, 中央倶楽部, lit. ''Central Club'') was a political party in Japan. History The party was established in March 1910 by a group of around 50 MPs who had previously been members of the Boshin Club and the Daidō Club or ...

'', 1910–1913) * Impartial Association, also Upright Party (''

Chūseikai The Chūseikai ( ja, 中正会, lit. ''Impartiality Society'') was a political party in Japan. History The party was established in December 1913 as a merger of Ekirakukai and Seiyū Club and initially had 37 MPs.Haruhiro Fukui (1985) ''Politi ...

'', 1913–1916) * Reform Club (''

Kakushin Club The Kakushin Club (, "Reformist Club") was a political party in Japan. History The party was established on 8 November 1922 as a merger of the Rikken Kokumintō (29 National Diet members), the Mushozoku Club (14 Diet members) and three indep ...

'', 1922–1925) * Impartial Club (''

Chūsei Club The Chūsei Club (, ') was a pro-business political party in Japan. History The party was established by a group of 42 MPs in May 1924 following the May elections; 28 were first-time MPs and the remaining 14 were re-elected MPs, including some ...

'', 1924–1925) * ''Shinsei Club'' (1925–1928) * Reform Party (''

Kakushintō The Kakushintō (, "Reformist Party") was a political party in Japan. History The party was established on 3 June 1927 by a group of National Diet members from the Shinsei Club, all of whom had previously been members of the Kakushin Club.Haruhi ...

'', 1927–1932) * ''Kokumin Dōshikai'' (1929–1932) * People's Union (''

Kokumin Dōmei was a Japanese fascist political party in Japan active in the 1930s. In 1931, Home Minister Adachi Kenzō spoke out strongly in support of the Imperial Japanese Army’s unauthorized incursions into Manchuria and against the diplomatic poli ...

'', 1932–1940) * ''

Shōwakai The Shōwakai ( ja, 昭和会, literally ''Shōwa Society'') was a political party in Japan. History The party was established in December 1935 by a group of 18 MPs who had left Rikken Seiyūkai and Mushozoku Club in protest at the former's de ...

'' (1935–1937) * ''

Tōhōkai was a Japanese fascist political party which advocated Nazism. The party was active in Japan during the 1930s and early 1940s. Its origins lay in the right-wing political organization Kokumin Domei which was formed by Adachi Kenzō in 1933. I ...

'' (1936–1944)

=Socialist and labour movement

= *

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Fo ...

(''Shakaiminshutō'', 1901) *

Japan Socialist Party (1906) The Japan Socialist Party () was the first legal socialist party in the Empire of Japan. One year after its foundation on February 24, 1906, the party was banned by the Japanese government on February 22, 1907.

(''Nihon Shakaitō'', 1906–1907) * Japanese Commoners Party (''Nihon Heimintō'', 1906–) * Farmers and Workers Party ('' Nōminrōdōtō'', 1925) * Workers and Farmers Party ('' Rōdōnōmintō'', 1926–1928) * Japanese Workers and Farmers Party (''

Nihon Rōnōtō The was a socialist political party in Japan between December 1926 and December 1928. During its existence, it occupied a centrist position in the divided socialist movement. Foundation The Japan Labour-Farmer Party was one of several prolet ...

'', 1926–1928) * Japan Farmers Party (''Nihon Nōmintō'', 1926–1928) * Social People Party (''Shakai Minshūtō'', 1926–1932) * Workers and Farmers Party (''Rōdōshanōmintō'', 1928–) * Japanese Masses Party ('' Nihon Taishūtō'', 1928–1930) * Workers and Farmers Party (''Rōnōtō'', 1929–1931) * National Masses Party (''Zenkoku Taishūtō'', 1930–1931) * National Workers and Farmers Mass Party (''Zenkoku Rōnōtaishūtō'', 1931–1932) * Socialist Masses Party (''

Shakai Taishūtō The was a moderate leftist political party in early Shōwa period Empire of Japan. The ''Shakai Taishūtō'' was founded by Abe Isoo in July 1932, as a merger of the '' Shakai Minshūtō'' (Socialist Mass Party) with the '' Zenkoku Rōnō Tais ...

'', 1932–1940) In 1940, all remaining political parties with the exception of the Tōhōkai became part of the

or were banned.

Postwar Japan

''Note: Postwar parties often give themselves "English" names which sometimes differ significantly from translations of their Japanese names.''

=LDP precursor and breakaway parties

= * Japanese Cooperative Party (''Nihon Kyōdōtō'', centrist party promoting

cooperativism A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

by prewar Minseitō politician Sanehiko Yamamoto (1945–1946), *

Cooperative Democratic Party The Cooperative Democratic Party ( ja, 協同民主党, ''Kyōdō Minshutō'') was a political party in Japan. History The party was established as the Cooperative Democratic Club on 24 May 1946 as a merger of the Japan Cooperative Party and se ...

(''Kyōdō Minshutō'', created by a merger of the Japanese Cooperative Party with smaller groups (1946–1947), * National Party (''Kokumintō'', centrist party formed by independents and mini-parties (1946–1947), *

National Cooperative Party The was a centrist political party in Japan. History The party was established on 8 March 1947 as a merger of the Cooperative Democratic Party and the National Party following seven months of talks.Haruhiro Fukui (1985) ''Political parties of ...

(''Kokumin Kyōdōtō'', 1947–1950), merger of Cooperative Democratic Party and People's Party (1947–1950), * Japan Farmers' Party (''Nihon Nōmintō'', farmers' party mostly represented in Hokkaidō * New Farmers' Party (''Nōminshintō'', (1947–1949) * Farmers' Cooperative Party (''Nōmin Kyōdōtō'', in 1952 some members joined the Progressive Party, others joined the Cooperative Party, a breakaway of right-wing socialists from the JSP (1949–1952) * People's Democratic Party ('' Kokumin Minshutō'', created after the Democratic Party split by a merger of the Democratic opposition wing with the People's Cooperative Party of

Takeo Miki was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1974 until 1976. Early life and family Takeo Miki was born on 17 March 1907, in Gosho, Tokushima Prefecture (present-day Awa, Tokushima), the only child of farmer-merchant ...

(1950–1952) * New Political Club (''Shinsei Club'', group around prewar Minseitō politicians returning to politics after the SCAP purge had been lifted, joined the Progressive Party (1951–1952) * Japanese Reconstruction League (''Nihon Saiken Renmei'', group around prewar Minseitō politicians returning to politics after the SCAP purge had been lifted, joined the Liberal Party (1952–1953) * Progressive Party (''

Kaishintō The Kaishintō ( ja, 改進党, lit. ''Reformist Party'') was a political party in Japan. History The party was established on 8 February 1952 as a merger of the National Democratic Party and the Shinsei Club, together with most of the Farmers ...

'', merger of People's Democratic Party with parts of the Farmers' Cooperative Party and the Shinsei Club, became part of Hatoyama's Japanese Democratic Party in 1954 (1952–1954) * Japanese Liberal Party (''Nihon Jiyūtō'', 1953), generally referred to as Secessionist Liberal Party (''buntōha jiyūtō'') or Hatoyama Liberal Party, the first breakaway of Ichirō Hatoyama and his followers from the Liberal Party, a majority including Hatoyama returned to the Liberal Party later that year (1953–1953) * Japanese Liberal Party (1953) (''Nihon Jiyūtō'', small group from Hatoyama's Liberal Party that didn't want to return to Yoshida's Liberal Party, joined Hatoyama's Japanese Democratic Party in 1954 (1953–1954) * New Liberal Club (''Shin Jiyū Club'', 1976–1986), breakaway of LDP Diet members predominantly from urban constituencies, in a joint parliamentary group with the Social Democratic Federation in the early 1980s, then part of a coalition government with the LDP under Yasuhiro Nakasone, most returned to the LDP in 1986 (1976–1986) * Tax Party (''Zeikintō'', 1983–1990), party of former New Liberal Club member Chinpei Nozue (1983–1990) * Progressive Party (''Shinpotō'', party of New Liberal Club member Seiichi Tagawa who didn't return to the LDP, dissolved after Tagawa's retirement from politics (1987–1993) * New Party Harbinger (''Shintō Sakigake'', centrist, reformist-ecologist, LDP breakaway in the 1993 no-confidence vote against the Miyazawa Cabinet (1993–1998) * New Future Party (''Shintō Mirai'', 1994), breakaway of five Mitsuzuka faction Representatives, joined the New Frontier Party (1993–1994) *

Japan Renewal Party The was a Japanese political party that existed in the early 1990s. It was founded in 1993 by 44 members of the Liberal Democratic Party led by Tsutomu Hata and Ichirō Ozawa. It was instrumental in ending the LDP's 38-year dominance of Japanese ...

(''Shinseitō'', lit. "Renewal Party", liberal, breakaway of the Hata-Ozawa faction from the LDP in the 1993 no-confidence vote against the Miyazawa Cabinet, joined the New Frontier Party (1993–1994) * ''Kōshikai'' (1994), breakaway of LDP Diet members opposed to the Grand Coalition with the JSP, joined the New Frontier Party (1994–1994) * Sakigake Party (''Sakigake'', lit. "Harbinger", New Party Harbinger successor after some Diet members had joined the Democratic Party (1998–2002) * Japan Greens (''Midori no Kaigi'', lit. "Green Conference", Sakigake successor of Councillor (until 2004)

Atsuo Nakamura is a Japanese actor and politician. He has appeared in more than 50 films since 1964. His younger brother Katsuyuki Nakamura is a writer. Career Nakamura first joined the Haiyuza theatre troupe in 1962, and became famous for his starring role i ...

(2002–2004) * Japan Greens (''Midori no Table'', lit. "Green Table", "Green Conference" successor, merged with left-wing ecologist Rainbow and Greens to form "Japan Greens" (Midori no Mirai) (2004–2008) *

People's New Party The People's New Party (国民新党 ''Kokumin Shintō'', PNP) was a Japanese political party formed on August 17, 2005 in the aftermath of the defeat of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Japan Post privatisation bills which led to a snap electi ...

(PNP; ''Kokumin Shintō'',2005–2013 ) (2005–2013) * Sunrise Party (''Taiyō no Tō'', "Party of the Sun"), formed in November 2012 by

Takeo Hiranuma is a Japanese politician and a member of the House of Representatives. He is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party and is former chairperson of the Party for Future Generations. Early life Takeo Hiranuma was born in Tokyo in 1939. His moth ...

's Sunrise Party of Japan (''Tachiagare Nippon'', "Rise up, Japan") and

Shintarō Ishihara was a Japanese politician and writer who was Governor of Tokyo from 1999 to 2012. Being the former leader of the radical right Japan Restoration Party, he was one of the most prominent ultranationalists in modern Japanese politics. An ultra ...

who resigned as governor of Tokyo to return to national politics, merged into Japan Restoration Party in November 2012 (2010–2012)

=JSP breakaway parties

= * Socialist Reform Party (''Shakai Kakushintō'', renamed (1948–1951) * Workers and Farmers Party (''Rōdōshanōmintō'', rejoined the JSP (1948–1957) * Social Democratic Party (''Shakaiminshutō'', 1951–1952), renamed * Cooperative Party (''Kyōdōtō'', 1952), (re-)joined the right-wing Socialists (1952–1952) *

Democratic Socialist Party (Japan) The was a political party in Japan. History The party was established in January 1960 by a breakaway faction of the Japanese Socialist Party. Led by Suehiro Nishio, it was made up of members of the most moderate wing of the former Rightis ...

(''Minshu-shakaitō'', abbreviated and later officially ''Minshatō'', social-democratic, broke off from the JSP over the US-Japanese security treaty of 1960, joined the NFP (1960–1994) * Socialist Citizens' Federation (''Shakai Shimin Rengō'', right-wing JSP breakaway around

Saburō Eda was a Japanese party politician, prominent in the postwar period, who served two terms in the House of Councillors (Japan), Member of the House of Councillors and four terms in the House of Representatives (Japan), Member of the House of Repre ...

(1977–1978) * Socialist Club (''Shakai Club'', right-wing JSP breakaway around

Hideo Den Hideo Den (田英夫 ''Den Hideo'', June 9, 1923 - November 13, 2009) was a Japanese news presenter, politician, and for 34 of the years between 1971 and 2007, a member of the House of Councillors for the Social Democratic Party. From 1978 to 1 ...

(1977–1978) * Social Democratic Federation (''Shakaiminshu Rengō'', merger of Socialist Citizens' Federation and Socialist Club, led by Hideo Den, then by Eda's son

Satsuki Satsuki is a traditional Japanese name for the month of . It is commonly used as a feminine given name and, more rarely, as a surname or a masculine name. Possible spellings Satsuki can be spelled using different ''kanji'' characters and can mean: ...

, in a joint parliamentary group with the New Liberal Club in the early 1980s, dissolved in 1994, most members joined Japan New Party (1978–1994) * New Party 'Liberals for Protecting the Constitution' (''Shintō Goken Liberal'', party around Hideo Den, opposed to the NFP and supporting the JSP-LDP Murayama Cabinet, split into ''Heiwa Shimin'' (Peace – Citizens) and ''Kenpō Midori-nō no Rentai'' (Constitution, Green Agriculture Collective), Den joined the Sangiin Forum (1994–1995) * Citizens' League (''Shimin Rengō'', JSP breakaway opposed to the "Grand" Coalition with the LDP around Sadao Yamahana and Banri Kaieda, joined the Democratic Party (1995–1996)

=Other NFP and DPJ precursor and breakaway parties

= * Rengō no Kai formed as political arm of the newly formed

RENGO The , commonly known as , is the largest national trade union center in Japan, with over six million members as of 2011.Rengo websitRengo brochure 2010-2011 Retrieved on July 6, 2012 It was founded in 1989 as a result of the merger of the Japan ...

trade union federation (a merger of JSP-aligned Sōhyō and DSP-aligned Dōmei), helped win an opposition majority in the House of Councillors in 1989, renamed (1989–1993) *

Japan New Party The was a Japanese political party that existed briefly from 1992 to 1994. The party, considered liberal, was founded by Morihiro Hosokawa, a former Diet member and Kumamoto Prefecture governor, who left the Liberal Democratic Party to protest ...

(''Nihon Shintō'', liberal, (1992–1994) * Democratic Reform Party (''Minshu Kaikaku Rengō'', lit. "Democratic Reform League", joined the "new" Democratic Party (1993–1998) * New Kōmei Party (''Kōmei Shintō'', "New Justice Party", 1994), one of two groups resulting from the dissolution of Kōmeitō (1994–1994) *

Sun Party The Sun Party (太陽党 ''Taiyōtō'') was a Japanese political party which existed from 1996 to 1998. It was a liberal reformist party that was opposed to the ruling coalition led by the Liberal Democratic Party (Japan). The party was compos ...

(''Taiyōtō'', liberal reformist, NFP breakaway around Tsutomu Hata, joined Minseitō (1996–1998) * Democratic Party of Japan (1996–1998) (''Minshutō'', "Democratic Party", liberal, 1996–1998), formed by

Naoto Kan is a Japanese politician who was Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) from June 2010 to September 2011. Kan was the first Prime Minister since the resignation of Junichiro Koizumi in 2006 to serve for ...

Yukio Hatoyama is a former Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 16 September 2009 to 8 June 2010. He was the first Prime Minister from the modern Democratic Party of Japan. First elected to the House of Representatives in 1986, Hatoy ...

and of New Party Harbinger, then part of the Grand Coalition with LDP and SDP, together with SDP and NFP politicians; after the dissolution of the NFP most successor parties joined the DPJ parliamentary group and merged a few months later to form the "new" Democratic Party (1996–1998) *

From Five was a Japanese political party that existed from December 1997 to January 1998. It was formed by former Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa and four other legislators ( Yoriko Madoka, Shinji Tarutoko, Kiyoshi Ueda and Takenori Emoto) who left the ...

, NFP breakaway around Morihiro Hosokawa, joined Minseitō (1997–1998) *

New Fraternity Party The was a Japanese political party that existed in early 1998. It was founded by Diet members that broke away from the New Frontier Party in January 1998. The party has political roots in '' Minsha kyōkai'', and ''Minsha kyōkai'' is now the ma ...

(''Shintō Yūai'', liberal reformist, 1998), NFP successor around Kansei Nakano (1998–1998) *

Liberal Party (Japan, 1998) The was a political party in Japan formed in 1998 by Ichirō Ozawa and Hirohisa Fujii. It is now defunct, having joined the Democratic Party of Japan in 2003. The Liberal Party were part of the Japanese liberal Parties genealogy, neoliberal ...

(''Jiyūtō'', liberal, 1998–2003), party of Ichirō Ozawa followers after the New Frontier Party had dissolved, joined the LDP in a coalition government from 1999 to 2000 (1998–2003) *

Good Governance Party The was a Japanese political party which was in existence for a short period in early 1998. It was a centrist, reformist party that merged with other parties in April 1998 to form the Democratic Party of Japan. There was an earlier pre-war ''Min ...

(''Minseitō'', "Democratic Party", liberal, 1998), merger of three member parties of the DPJ parliamentary group (1998–1998) * Voice of the People (''Kokumin no Koe'', 1998), NFP successor around Michihiko Kano, joined Minseitō (1998–1998) * Reform Club (''Kaikaku Club'', NFP successor around Tatsuo Ozawa (1998–2002) * New Peace Party (''Shintō Heiwa'', 1998), NFP successor of former Kōmeitō Representatives, reestablished Kōmeitō (1998–1998) * Dawn Club (''Reimei Club'', 1998), NFP successor of former Kōmeitō Councillors, merged with Kōmei and reestablished Kōmeitō (1998–1998) * Conservative Party (Japan) (''Hoshutō'', liberal, 2000–2002), a breakaway group from the Liberal Party wanting to continue the coalition with the LDP and Kōmeitō (2000–2002) *

New Conservative Party New Conservative Party (or similar names) may refer to: * New Conservative Party (UK), 1960–1962 * New Conservative Group, Australia, 1991–1992 * New Conservative Party (Japan), 2000–2003 * New Zealand Conservative Party, 1996-c.1998 * New C ...

(''Hoshushintō'', liberal, 2002–2003), merger of parts of the Conservative Party (others returned to the LDP) with a breakaway group from the Democratic Party, joined the LDP (2002–2003) * Japan Renaissance Party (''Kaikaku Club'', lit. "Reform Club",

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

, formed during the "twisted Diet" (''nejire kokkai'', opposition majority in the House of Councillors) by Democratic and independent Councillors ready to cooperate with the LDP-Kōmeitō government, formed New Renaissance Party *

New Renaissance Party The was a minor political party in Japan. History The NRP is the successor to the Reform Club (改革クラブ), founded by Hideo Watanabe and Hiroyuki Arai in August 2008. In April 2010, Yōichi Masuzoe, a former Minister of Health, Labour ...

(''Kaikaku Shintō'', lit. "New Reform Party"; 2010–2016) * Kizuna Party (''Shintō Kizuna'', "New Kizuna Party"), founded in December 2011 by former Ozawa Democrats, opposed to VAT hike, opposed to joining TPP, merged into People's Life First in 2012 (2011–2012) *

People's Life First was a short-lived political party in Japan. It had 37 out of the 480 seats in the House of Representatives, and 12 in the 242-member House of Councillors. On 28 November 2012, the party merged into Governor of Shiga Yukiko Kada's Japan Future Par ...

(''Kokumin no Seikatsu ga Daiichi'', LF), founded by

Ichirō Ozawa is a Japanese politician and has been a member of the House of Representatives since 1969, representing the Iwate 3rd district (Iwate 2nd district prior to the 1996 general election and Iwate 4th district prior to the 2017 general election). H ...

and other DPJ Diet members opposing a planned sales tax increase in Summer 2012, merged into TPJ in November 2012 (2012–2012)

=Others

= * Japanese Women's Party (''Nihon Joseitō'', 1977), short-lived party of feminist leader Misako Enoki (1977–1977) * Welfare Party (''Fukushitō'', 1983–?), party of Representative Eita Yashiro who joined the LDP in 1984, the party never won a seat in the Diet again and eventually dissolved *

Sports and Peace Party The Sports and Peace Party (スポーツ平和党 ''Supōtsu Heiwa Tō'') was a political party in Japan run by Antonio Inoki, a pro wrestler and former member of the House of Councillors. He continued to wrestle and promote while serving as a leg ...

(''Supōtsu Heiwa Tō'', centrist, (1989–2004) * Truth Party (''Shinritō'', 1989–?), party of Ōmu Shinrikyō founder Shōkō Asahara, its 25 candidates in the 1990 House of Representatives election altogether but a few thousand votes *''Nakayoshi no Tō'', a women's party that regularly contested House of Councillors proportional elections (1993–2016) * ''Kōmei'' ("Justice", one of two groups resulting from the dissolution of Kōmeitō, merged with Reimei Club and reestablished Kōmeitō (1994–1998) * Liberal League (''Jiyū Rengō'',

libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...

, (1994–2005) * House of Councillors Forum (''Sangiin Forum'', group formed by ex-SDF Councillor Hideo Den and independents (Motoo Shiina and others) (1995–1996) *

(''Niji to Midori'', green, (1998–2008) ** formerly House of Councillors Club (''Sangiin Club'', centrist, parliamentary group of Motoo Shiina, Masami Tanabu and others (1998–1999) * Independents (''Mushozoku no Kai'', lit. "assembly of independents", centrist, (1999–2004) * The Spirit of Japan Party (''Nippon Sōshintō'', lit. "

"), formed by prefectural and municipal politicians in 2010, dissolved to join Japan Restoration Party in 2012 (2010–2012) * Genzei Nippon ("Tax Cuts Japan"), party founded by Nagoya mayor Takashi Kawamura in 2010, mainly active in Nagoya municipal and Aichi prefectural politics, won some seats in other areas in the 2011 local elections, had its first National Diet member in 2011, achieved party status in 2012, decided to merge into Datsu-Genpatsu in November 2012 (2010–2012) *

Tax Cuts Japan commonly known as the Zero Nuclear Party in English-speaking countries and as ''Datsu-Genpatsu'' (脱原発, roughly "phase down nuclear power") in Japan, was a short-lived Japanese political party that was formed on 22 November 2012. Nagoya may ...

(''Genzei Nippon – Han TTP – Datsu-Genpatsu o Jitsugen suru Tō'', "Tax Cuts Japan, Anti-TPP, Nuclear Phaseout Realization Party"; Datsu-Genpatsu), founded in a merger of Genzei Nippon ("Tax Cuts Japan") and Han-TPP in November 2012, merged into TPJ in November 2012 (2012–2012) * "Anti-TPP, Nuclear Phaseout, Consumption Tax Hike Freeze Realization Party" (''Han-TPP — Datsu-Genpatsu — Shōhizei Zōzei Tōketsu wo Jitsugen Suru Tō''; Han-TPP), founded by Masahiko Yamada and

Shizuka Kamei is a former Japanese politician and a former chairman of the Parliamentary League for the Abolition of the Death Penalty. Early life He was born in the city of Shōbara in Hiroshima Prefecture into a poor family. He studied at the department o ...

in November 2012 following their respective departures from the DPJ and the PNP, merged with Genzei Nippon in November 2012. (2012–2012) *

Tomorrow Party of Japan , also known as the Japan Future Party, was a Japanese political party, formed on 28 November 2012 by Governor of Shiga Prefecture Yukiko Kada and dissolved in May 2013. Kada created the party as an alternative to the then-ruling Democratic ...

''Nippon Mirai no Tō'', short-lived anti-nuclear party formed by a merger between

and the '' Datsu-Genpatsu'' ("nuclear phaseout") party, itself a merger of Masahiko Yamada's ''Han-TPP'' ("anti-TPP") and Takashi Kawamura's ''Genzei Nippon'' ("Tax cuts Japan"), and the Representatives who had joined

Green Wind Green Wind was a left-wing political party in Japan. It opposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership and October 2012 Consumption Tax Hike. It was founded as a parliamentary group in July 2012, and as a political party in November 2012 when Representati ...

. Lost all of its seats and dissolved into Green Wind in 2013. (2012–2013) *

- Another short-lived anti-nuclear party. Dissolved in 2013. (2012–2013) *

Party for Japanese Kokoro The , officially the , was a Japanese political party. It was formed as the on 1 August 2014 by a group of Diet members led by Shintarō Ishihara. The party adopted its final name in December 2015, and ended up dissolving in November 2018. Hist ...

(''Nippon no Kokoro'') - Originally established as the 'Party for Future Generations' in 2014, led by

Shintaro Ishihara was a Japanese politician and writer who was Governor of Tokyo from 1999 to 2012. Being the former leader of the radical right Japan Restoration Party, he was one of the most prominent ultranationalists in modern Japanese politics. An ultra ...

. Split from the Japan Restoration Party, its last member was transferred to the LDP in 2018 and the party was dissolved. (2014–2018) *

Internet Breakthrough Party of Japan The was a one-member party run by , an ''Iron Chef'' judge and former member of the House of Representatives. See also *Manabu Miyazaki:He is the President (corporate title), president of this party External links Kurimoto's website Kurimoto's ...

(led by Iron Chef Commentator and Judge and former LDP member Shinichirō Kurimoto) *

, Party of Hope, national version of the

localist Localism describes a range of political philosophies which prioritize the local. Generally, localism supports local production and consumption of goods, local control of government, and promotion of local history, local culture and local identi ...

party

Tomin First no Kai is a regional political party in Tokyo, Japan. The party was founded by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike in 2017. Koike later stepped down as the party's leader and is no longer officially affiliated with the party, however her policies and image ...

. At the beginning it attached many electors from the left-leaning

, but in 2018 most of those members left for

Democratic Party for the People The , abbreviated to DPP or DPFP, is a centre to centre-right political party in Japan. The party was formed on 7 May 2018 from the merger of the Democratic Party and Kibō no Tō (''Party of Hope''). In September 2020 a majority of the par ...

. As remaining party members continue to leave the party, the party disbanded in year 2021 as its last representative announced retirement. (2017-2021)

=Political parties in U.S. Okinawa

= * Okinawa People's Party (''Okinawa Jinmintō'', communist, 1947–1973), joined the Japanese Communist Party after the return to the mainland *

(''Okinawa Shakai Taishūtō'', pro-reversion, socialist, 1950–), after the return to the mainland, a merger with the Japanese Socialist Party was planned, and its only Representative joined the DSP, but the party continues to exist as a regional party * Ryukyu Democratic Party (''Ryūkyū Minshutō'', conservative, 1952–1959) * Okinawa Liberal Democratic Party (1959) (''Okinawa Jiyūminshutō'', 1959–?), split over the "Caraway whirlwind" of High Commissioner Lt. Gen. Paul W. Caraway * Democratic Party (''Minshutō'', 1964–1967), renamed * Okinawa Liberal Democratic Party (1967) (''Okinawa Jiyūminshutō'', 1967–1970), became the prefectural federation of the mainland Liberal Democratic Party

References

* Hrebenar, Ronald J. et al. ''Japan's New Party System''. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2000. * Hunter, Janet. Concise Dictionary of Modern Japanese History. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1984. * {{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Political Parties In Japan

Political parties A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or pol ...