The New Conservative Party (保守新党 Hoshu Shinto) is a now-defunct political party in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 originally led by Hiroshi Kumagai. Kumagai and 3 other disgruntled Democratic Party of Japan

Democratic Party of Japan

The is a political party in Japan founded in 1998 by the merger of several opposition parties. Its socially liberal platform is generally considered center-left in the Japanese political spectrum...

 members defected in December 2002 and merged with the Conservative Party of Japan (1996) (Hoshuto), forming the New Conservative Party. The party was a conservative

Conservatism

Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...

 reformist party and was very right-wing.

After the November 2003 general election

Japan general election, 2003

A general election took place in Japan on November 9, 2003. Incumbent Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of the Liberal Democrat Party won the election but with a reduced majority. The main opposition Democratic Party made considerable gains, winning 177 of the 480 seats in the House of...

, the New Conservative Party was left with only 4 members in the House of Representatives, down from 9 prior to the election. Among the losers in the last election was the party president, Hiroshi Kumagai.

On November 10, 2003, Prime Minister Koizumi proposed that the NCP merge with the Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)

Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)

The , frequently abbreviated to LDP or , is a centre-right political party in Japan. It is one of the most consistently successful political parties in the democratic world. The LDP ruled almost continuously for nearly 54 years from its founding in 1955 until its defeat in the 2009 election...

. Following the proposal, the Secretary-General of the NCP, Toshihiro Nikai

Toshihiro Nikai

is a Japanese politician. He was the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. A member of the Liberal Democratic Party , Nikai is currently serving in his eighth term in the Lower House representing Wakayama's Third District....

, confirmed the merger. After all, both parties were conservative.

"We humbly received the proposal and, after discussion within the party, we agreed to accept the proposal to achieve the policies we promised to voters," Secretary-General Nikai stated on November 10, 2003.

The party is now completely merged with the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, and is defunct.

See also

• Politics of Japan
  Politics of Japan
  The politics of Japan is conducted in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic monarchy, where Prime Minister of Japan is the head of government. Japanese politics uses a multi-party system. Executive power exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in the Diet, with...
  
  
• Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)
  Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)
  The , frequently abbreviated to LDP or , is a centre-right political party in Japan. It is one of the most consistently successful political parties in the democratic world. The LDP ruled almost continuously for nearly 54 years from its founding in 1955 until its defeat in the 2009 election...
  
  
• Japan general election, 2003
  Japan general election, 2003
  A general election took place in Japan on November 9, 2003. Incumbent Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of the Liberal Democrat Party won the election but with a reduced majority. The main opposition Democratic Party made considerable gains, winning 177 of the 480 seats in the House of...
  
  
• Conservative Party of Japan (1996)