Hiroyuki and Izumi launch political group with penalty clauses

Entrepreneur Hiroyuki Nishimura and former Akashi Mayor Fumiho Izumi have announced the formation of a political group, tentatively named ‘Hiroyuki & Izumi Shin-to’ (Hiroyuki & Izumi New Party). The group aims to support candidates in the 2027 unified local elections without immediately establishing a national political party.

A unique feature of the project is the use of notarized documents to enforce campaign promises. Candidates must commit to specific actions, such as submitting budget or ordinance proposals regarding policies like zero social insurance premiums for children, bullying countermeasures, and free sanitary products. If these ‘promises’ are not fulfilled, the candidate must pay a 10-million-yen penalty, which will be donated to the Japanese Red Cross.

The group has already announced its first wave of supported candidates, including former Miyazaki Governor Hideo Higashikokubaru for the upcoming Miyazaki gubernatorial election and former Bunkyo Ward assembly member Keiko Ebisawa for the 2027 Bunkyo Ward mayoral election. While the group is currently focusing on local elections, Nishimura and Izumi indicated they may consider forming a national party in the future.