Japan New Party

political party, Japan

Also known as: JNP, Nihon Shintō, Nippon Shintō

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June 29, 2026

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The Japan New Party (JNP) was a reformist political party founded in 1992 by Hosokawa Morihiro. It emerged as a conservative alternative to the long-dominant Liberal-Democratic Party (LDP), advocating for electoral reform and an end to political corruption. The JNP gained traction due to scandals within the LDP and, in 1993, Hosokawa became Japan's first non-LDP prime minister since 1955, leading a coalition government. His tenure was brief, lasting only eight months before he resigned amid financial impropriety allegations. The party's influence waned, and it eventually merged into other political entities, contributing to the formation of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ).123

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Hosokawa Morihiro
…of the reform political party Japan New Party (Nihon Shintō) and was the prime minister of Japan in 1993–94.
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…of the reform political party Japan New Party (Nihon Shintō) and was the prime minister of Japan in 1993–94.
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Japan
Political developments
…off the LDP, including the Japan New Party (JNP) and the Japan Renewal Party. These joined several former opposition parties to form a coalition government with Hosokawa Morihiro, leader of the JNP, as prime minister.
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…off the LDP, including the Japan New Party (JNP) and the Japan Renewal Party. These joined several former opposition parties to form a coalition government with Hosokawa Morihiro, leader of the JNP, as prime minister.
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