In Japan, any organization that supports a candidate needs to register itself as a political party. Each of these parties have some local or national influence. This article lists political parties in Japan with representation in the National Diet, either in the House of Representatives (lower house) or in the House of Councillors (upper house). The article also mentions political parties within the nation that either used to be within representation, or parties that currently are.
Current parties Main parties Party Leader(s) Ideology National Diet Governors Representatives Councillors Sanae Takaichi Hirofumi YoshimuraFumitake Fujita Yuichiro Tamaki Conservatism Populism Junya Ogawa Centrism Shunichi Mizuoka Liberalism Social liberalism Sohei Kamiya Right-wing populism Ultraconservatism Toshiko Takeya Takahiro Anno E-democracy Tomoko Tamura CommunismProgressivism Joji Yamamoto Progressivism Left-wing populism Naoki Hyakuta Mizuho Fukushima Social democracy Progressivism
Legal status as a political party () is tied to having five members in the Diet or one member and at least two percent nationally of either proportional or majoritarian vote in one of the three elections of the current members of the National Diet, i.e. the last House of Representatives general election and the last two House of Councillors regular elections. Political parties receive public party funding (¥ 250 per citizen, about ¥ 32 bill. in total per fiscal year, distributed according to recent national elections results – last HR general and last two HC regular elections – and Diet strength on January 1), are allowed to concurrently nominate candidates for the House of Representatives in an electoral district and on a proportional list, may take political donations from legal persons, i.e. corporations, and other benefits such as air time on public broadcaster NHK.Laws regulating political parties include the (Public Offices Election Act ), the (Political Funds Control Act ) and the (Political Parties Subsidies Act ). (Note: Translations have no legal effect and are by definition "unofficial" .) Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications: s/index.html General information and published reports about political party funding (In Japanese)
Local parties
Under Japanese law, all of the parties below are "political organizations" (seiji dantai), not "political parties" (seitō, see above).
Parties represented in prefectural assemblies Genzei Nippon ("Tax Cuts Japan"), party founded by Nagoya mayor Takashi Kawamura in 2010, mainly active in Nagoya municipal and Aichi prefectural politics, won some seats in other areas in the 2011 local elections, had its first National Diet member in 2011, achieved party status in 2012, decided to merge into Datsu-Genpatsu in November 2012 (2010–2012). Currently active in local Nagoya politics. It merged with the far-right Conservative Party of Japan in October 2023. New Socialist Party of Japan, a left breakaway group from the Japanese Socialist Party, created in 1996 when the latter formed the Social Democratic Party; the New Socialist Party was represented in the national Diet from 1996 to 1998. Several member organizations of the Japan People's Political Network, a federation of local consumer movements that entered politics in the 1970s includes: Chiba Prefecture Citizens Movement Citizen Network of Saitama Kanagawa Network Movement Tokyo Seikatsusha Network Tukuba Shimin Network Chiiki Seitō Iwate ("Iwate regional party", 2010–) of former Social Democrats and independents Kyoto Party (Kyōto-tō, 2010–) Osaka Restoration Association, the dominant party in Ōsaka prefecture formed by the former governor Tōru Hashimoto who wants to dissolve Ōsaka city and Sakai city and turn them into Special wards of Ōsaka. Affiliated with the Nippon Ishin no Kai. Tomin First no Kai Okinawa Social Mass Party (Okinawa Shakai Taishū-tō), formerly the Okinawa Socialist Mass Party. Green Niigata, Midori Niigata (Niigata, communist) formerly Niigata New Party for People, Shimin Shin-tō Niigata (Niigata, communist) Fukui Party, active in the Fukui Prefecture
Other parties represented in local councils
Greens Japan (Midori no Tō, lit. "Green Party"), created in 2012 as the successor of Greens Japan (Midori no Mirai, lit. "Green Future"), a green party formed by the merger of the conservative-green Greens Japan (Midori no Table, "Green Table") and the left-wing-green Rainbow and Greens (Niji to Midori) in 2008. Happiness Realization Party (far-right, 2009–), previously held a seat at the House of Councillors Citizens Network Hokkaido, a member of the Japan People's Political Network Citizen Politics Network of Fukuoka, a member of the Japan People's Political Network Tsubasa Party (far-right, 2019–), gained notoriety during the 2024 Tokyo gubernatorial election due to alleged election interference, harassment and sabotage
Other parties Active political parties that used to be in the Diet but are not currently represented:
Rikken Yōseikai (far-right, 1923–1942, 1946–) Dainiin Club Dainiin Kurabu (1983–) New Party for Salaried Men Sararīman Shintō (centrist, 1983–) Takeru (centrist, 2001–) Political Group of Okinawa Revolution (Sōzō, lit. Creation), Okinawa regionalist party formed by LDP defectors in 2005, represented in the national Diet from 2005 to 2008, merged with the PNP Okinawa prefectural federation in 2012, keeping its name Collaborative Party (right-wing populist, 2013–)
Japan has other minor parties not represented in Parliament (which have never been represented before), some are new, others with communist and socialist ideologies, as well as a few nationalist, reformist, and far-right parties. Some of them include: National Socialist Japanese Workers' Party (far-right) (1982–present) Japan Nation Party (nationalist) (1988–present) Ishin Seitō Shimpū (far-right) (1995–present) Tokyo Tea Party (inspired by the U.S. Tea Party movement) (2010–present) Ainu Party,Ainu Party party representing the rights of the Ainu people. (indigenous rights) (2012–present) Japan First Party (far-right) (2016–present) Pirate Party Japan, based on the Swedish Pirate Party Greater Japan Patriotic Party (far-right) (1951–present) Kariyushi Club Kariyushi Kurabu (Okinawa, independentist) Japanese Communist Party (Action Faction) (far-left) (1980–present) Japanese Communist Party (Left Faction) (far-left) (1969–present) Chūkaku-ha (far-left) (1959–present) Japan Revolutionary Communist League (far-left) (Trotskyism) (1959–present) AI Party (Government by algorithm) (2018–present) Horiemon New Party (right-wing populist) (2020–present) Nihon Yamato Party (far-right) (2025–present)
Defunct parties
Former major parties
Liberal Party (Jiyūtō): initially Constitutional Liberal Party (Rikken Jiyūtō), the strongest party in the early House of Representatives and the mainstream liberal opposition to government military spending and foreign policy (1890–1898) Progressive Party (Shinpotō): created during a temporary alliance between Liberals and the oligarchy (1896–1898) Constitutional Party (Kenseitō): formed by a merger of Liberal and Progressive Party (1898–1900) True Constitutional Party (Kensei Hontō): breakaway of liberals discontented with the alliance with the government (1898–1910) Rikken Seiyūkai: formed in 1900 by a now permanent alliance between parts of the Meiji oligarchy, the bureaucracy and members of the liberal parties it became the dominant force in party politics throughout the Empire (1900–1940) Constitutional People's Party (Rikken Kokumintō, created in a merger of the True Constitutional Party with smaller groups, the party pushed the government for an expansion of constitutional rights (1910–1922) Rikken Dōshikai (1913–1916), another attempt by Katsura Tarō to form a strong opposition to the Seiyūkai (1913–1916) Constitutional Assembly (Kenseikai, the core group of the constitutional movement in the Taishō era (1916–1927) True Seiyū Party (Seiyū Hontō): a Seiyūkai breakaway during the "three constitutional factions" (goken sampa) alliance between Seiyūkai, Kenseikai and Kakushin Club ("Reform Club") (1923–1926) Constitutional Democratic Party (Rikken Minseitō, main opponent of the Seiyūkai in the final years of party rule and during the rise of the military (1927–1940) Imperial Rule Assistance Association (1940–1945) Japanese Liberal Party (JLP or LP; Nihon Jiyūtō, mainstream democratic conservative party around former Seiyūkai politicians (1945–1948) Japanese Progressive Party (Nihon Shinpotō): conservative party around former Minseitō politicians (1945–1947) Japanese Socialist Party (JSP; Nihon Shakaitō): divided into Left JSP and Right JSP in the early 1950s), a small minority before the war, the Socialists became the main opposition to the soon united conservatives, but continually lost ground to more centrist opposition parties over the decades (1945–1996) Summer breeze assembly (Ryokufūkai, reestablished several times after), created as the largest parliamentary group in the first House of Councillors by conservatives and some liberals and moderate socialists including a number of former House of Peers members, it had a centrist approach and was willing to work with centre-left and centre-right cabinets (1947–1960) Democratic Party (1947) (DP; Minshutō): created by the Progressive Party and a Liberal breakaway group, the party tried to occupy the "centre" between Liberals and Socialists, but was soon divided over cooperation with either group (1947–1950) Democratic Liberal Party (DLP or LP; Minshujiyūtō, created from the Liberal Party when Democrats opposed to the coalition with the Socialists joined it (1948–1950) Liberal Party (LP; Jiyūtō): created after the Democrats had finally split over cooperation with the Liberal government, but soon divided itself into followers of first JLP president Hatoyama Ichirō who returned to politics when the SCAP purge was lifted and the "Yoshida school" of his successor Yoshida Shigeru. forefather of Liberal Democratic Party (1950–1955) Japanese Democratic Party (JDP; Nihon Minshutō): Hatoyama-led breakaway from the liberals merged with smaller groups including the opposition remnants of the Democratic Party; the "conservative merger" (hoshu gōdō) of 1955 united Liberal Party and Japanese Democratic Party in the Liberal Democratic Party that dominated postwar politics for decades. Forefather of Liberal Democratic Party. (1954–1955) New Frontier Party (NFP; Shinshintō, lit. "New Progressive Party"), formed after an anti-LDP government had collapsed to create a unified opposition party ranging from socialists to conservatives (1994–1997) Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ; Minshutō): the DPJ was founded in 1998 as a result of the merger of several anti-LDP opposition parties, and was the ruling party in 2009–2012. Its membership covered a broad spectrum of political beliefs, but it was generally considered a centrist party.The Democratic Party of Japan is widely described as centrist: (1998–2016) Japan Restoration Party (JRP; Nippon Ishin no Kai): the JRP was founded by Tōru Hashimoto the Governor of Osaka Prefectire in 2012 as a result of the merger of several right-wing regional parties, and was the third biggest political block in the National Diet. (2012–2014) Japan Innovation Party (JIP; Ishin no Tō): formed by a merger of the right-wing JRP and centre-right Unity Party, the Osaka regional group split off the JIP as Initiatives from Osaka in 2015 and the centre-right JIP later merged with the DPJ. (2014–2016)