| Description | 1993-1998 New Party Sakigake
1998-2002 Sakigake
2002-2004 Environmental Green Political Assembly
The Sakigake (Harbinger) Movement in Japan advocated economic conservatism, ecological reforms, and other moderate stances. It generally sided with similar economically-conservative parties such as the Liberal Democrats and Komeito (Clean Government Party).
New Party Sakigake was formed in June 1993 by ten breakaway LDP lower house members led by Masayoshi Takemura. It won 13 seats in the 1993 lower house election and joined in the ensuing coalition government, with Takemura installed as chief cabinet secretary. When the administration subsequently changed hands, Sakigake refused a cabinet post, withdrawing to a position of cooperation without cabinet representation. In June 1994, however, it returned to power as part of a coalition established with the LDP and SDP, with Takemura taking office as finance minister. Sakigake gained three seats in the July 1995 upper house election, and held two of its 13 lower house seats in 1997 elections.
Following a decline in electoral success and the exodus of some of its liberal members to the new Democratic Party, party members reinvented themselves simply as Sakigake and became more conservative, yet still retained the party's attention to environmental protection. After Sakigake lost all its seats in both houses of the Diet in 2001, the ecologist sect of the party took control and changed its name to Midori no kaigi, or the Environmental Green Political Assembly. While rare in being a green party advocating conservative economics, Midori no Kaigi won no seats in 2004's upper house elections. They dissolved themselves June 22, 2004, ending Japan's Sakigake Movement. |
