Upstart Japanese Right-Wing Party Surprises With Big Election Gains
- Ishin posts the biggest surge of any party in Sunday’s vote
- Conservative party also favors strong national defense
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The biggest gainer in Japan’s general election is a party favoring small government with roots in Osaka politics that’s now the third-largest force in the powerful lower house.
Ishin, a relative newcomer on the national political scene, went from holding 11 seats to taking 41 in the Sunday vote, scoring the biggest numerical jump of any party. Its four-fold surge likely came partially from disaffected ruling party supporters and from those who previously voted for the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party.