Actor-turned-politician Taro Yamamoto is angling for a new real-life role in which he leads his novice party and allies to victory, ousts long-ruling conservatives and takes over as prime minister within the next few years.
Whether or not he can achieve that ambitious target, Yamamoto says his tiny Reiwa Shinsengumi party ¡ª which elected two disabled candidates to the Upper House of the Diet this month ¡ª is already having an impact. ¡°Our two lawmakers have not entered parliament yet, but already they are making (the chamber) barrier-free,¡± he said in an interview. ¡°Even if we are smaller than the number two opposition party, I think we can have a big impact.¡±
Political experts agree that Reiwa ¡ª named after the new imperial era that began in May ¡ª can have an impact on policies and attitudes, such as those in relation to people with disabilities. But achieving the longer-term goal would be a long-shot, and might require merging with other groups.
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