Japan Restoration Party

Japan Restoration Party
日本維新の会
Nippon Ishin no Kai
AbbreviationJRP, NIK
LeaderTōru Hashimoto
Secretary-GeneralIchirō Matsui
Representatives leaderYorihisa Matsuno
Founded28 September 2012 (2012-09-28)
Dissolved31 July 2014 (2014-07-31)
Merger of
Split from
Succeeded byJapan Innovation Party
HeadquartersOsaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
Ideology
Political positionRight-wing to far-right
Colors
  •   Green (official)
  •   Lime green (customary)

The Japan Restoration Party (日本維新の会, Nippon Ishin no Kai), 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 Association, headed by Tōru Hashimoto, Mayor of Osaka, and Ichirō Matsui, Governor of Osaka Prefecture.

On 17 November 2012 Hashimoto and Shintaro Ishihara, leader of the Sunrise Party, announced a merger of their parties to create a "third force" to contest the general election of December 2012. The merged organization, which retained the name "Japan Restoration Party", was at that time Japan's only national political party based outside Tokyo. After the election it had 54 seats in the lower house and 9 members in the upper house.

On May 28, 2014, co-leaders Hashimoto and Ishihara agreed to split the party after many internal differences, including disagreement over a proposed merger with the Unity Party. As a result, Ishihara's group split off from the JRP and formed the Party for Future Generations. Later, Hashimoto and Kenji Eda of the Unity Party agreed to merge their parties. The JRP was subsequently dissolved and the result of the merger was the formation of the Japan Innovation Party.