Genzei Nippon

Genzei Nippon (減税日本 lit. "Tax Reduction Japan") is a regional political party based in Nagoya, Japan and led by the mayor of Nagoya, Takashi Kawamura. The party was formed by Kawamura in April 2010. After briefly holding several seats in the national legislature, the party merged at the national level with the Tomorrow Party of Japan in November 2012. Genzei Nippon remained a separate party at the regional level and has been active within Aichi Prefecture. As well as Kawamura, the party has twelve members serving on the Nagoya city council.

History

The party was founded by Takashi Kawamura, then the mayor of Nagoya, and registered with the Aichi Prefectural electoral commission on 26 April 2010.^[1] At a press conference held on the same day, Kawamura emphasized the point that the greatest support that politicians can provide to citizens is a reduction in taxes.^[1]

The party first gained representation in the national Diet in May 2011 when Yuko Sato, the representative for the Aichi 1st district in the House of Representatives, officially resigned from the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ).^[2] Sato had lodged her resignation papers with the party in March in order to provide support to Genzei Nippon's candidates in the Nagoya city council election, but her application was put on hold while DPJ officials considered expelling instead.

Two more DPJ members of the House of Representatives, Koki Kobayashi from the Tokyo proportional representation block and Toshiaki Koizumi of the Ibaraki 3rd district, left the DPJ to join Genzei Nippon in August 2012.^[3] On the 31st August the three representatives joined with fellow DPJ defector Tomoyuki Taira to form the "Genzei Nippon-Heian" voting block within the House of Representatives, with Koizumi as the leader.^[4]

DPJ representatives Atsushi Kumada (Osaka 1st district) and Tomohiko Mizuno (Southern Kanto proportional representation block) joined Genzei Nippon in October 2012, giving the party five Diet members, the minimum requirement for registration as an official political party.^[5] The party was registered with Kawamura as the leader on 31 October 2012.^[4] On 13 November Taira, who had remained an independent within the House, left the voting block to join Your Party, which led to the voting block being renamed Genzei Nippon.^[4]

On 22 November the party merged at the national level with the "Anti-TPP, Zero Nuclear Party", which had been established just three days prior, to form the "Tax Reduction, Anti-TPP, Zero Nuclear Party".^[4] A few days later this group further merged into the Tomorrow Party of Japan in order to contest the December general election.

Genzei Nippon continued to exist at the regional level following the national mergers, led by Kawamura. At the April 2015 unified local elections, the party won 12 seats on the 75-seat Nagoya city council.^[6]

References

1. "新政治団体「減税日本」設立＝市議会解散へ布石−河村名古屋市長" [New political group "Genzei Nippon" established - Nagoya mayor Kawamura preparing for city council election] (in Japanese). 26 April 2010. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
2. "民主、佐藤夕子氏の離党届受理　減税日本初の国会議員に" [DPJ accepts Yuko Sato's defection, Genzei Nippon's first national Diet member] (in Japanese). Asahi Shimbun]]. 13 May 2011. Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
3. Johnston, Eric (18 August 2012). "Latest DPJ defectors to join Nagoya force". Japan Times. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
4. "衆議院の動き 第20 号" [House of Representatives Activity Vol. 20] (PDF) (in Japanese). March 2013. pp. 492–496. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
5. "民主の熊田・水野両議員が離党へ　減税日本への合流検討" [DPJ's Kumada and Mizuno defect, considering joining Genzei Nippon] (in Japanese). 29 October 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
6. "開票結果-政令市議選・愛知県【統一地方選2015】" [Results - Designated city councils:Aichi Prefecture (Unified local elections 2015)] (in Japanese). Yomiuri Shimbun. Retrieved 16 March 2016.