Nippon Ishin no Kai members on Sunday overwhelmingly chose Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura to lead Japan's second-largest opposition party, as it looks ahead to a busy 2025 that includes an Upper House election in the summer.
Despite longstanding concerns that Nippon Ishin is seen by voters as being too Osaka-centric, Yoshimura won easily, racking up 8,547 of the 10,740 votes from party members, including lawmakers. His closest competitor, Upper House member and former Kanagawa Gov. Shigefumi Matsuzawa, received only 1,066 votes.
Deputy Secretary-General Ryuna Kanemura won 635 votes, while Lower House member Seiki Soramoto finished with 492.
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