Over 200 members of Ishin no To (Japan Innovation Party), led by the party's Osaka faction, staged a revolt Sunday night, voting to dissolve the party.
But the move that has sharply divided party members, may result in legal action against the rebels, and is not automatically guaranteed to be approved by the Ministry of International Affairs and Communications, which regulates political parties.
Total attendance at Sunday's meeting was 233 members. Included among these were 20 Diet members, including the 12 core members from Osaka, who are loyal to party co-founder, Osaka mayor Toru Hashimoto. The meeting took place one week before Hashimoto was due to launch the Osaka Ishin no To (with Osaka in hiragana), a new national political party that is expected to include the majority of those who were at Saturday's meeting.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.