Nippon Ishin no Kai chose its former secretary-general, Fumitake Fujita, as its next co-leader Friday, a day after members decided Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura would continue as party head without the need for a separate leadership election.
The 44-year-old Fujita replaces Seiji Maehara, who resigned after Nippon Ishin¡¯s failure to make big gains in the Upper House election last month as it continues to struggle to find votes outside of its Kansai base and establish an identity as a national party.
The heavily Osaka-centric party overwhelmingly chose Fujita, a Lower House lawmaker elected from an Osaka district, over Upper House member Shigefumi Matsuzawa, 67, a Kanagawa district representative, and Lower House lawmaker Takeshi Saiki, 51, who represents a Fukui district.
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