The Shinshinto, or New Frontier Party, was founded in 1994 by former prime minister Kaifu Toshiki, and immediately became one of the members of the ruling anti-LDP coalition led by Hosokawa Morihiro. The party helped the government, led by the New Japan Party and the Japan Renewal Party, control the government until it collapsed in 1996. In 1996, former coalition leader Hata Tsutomu took over.
This party was basically on the left-wing and a traditional liberal party as well as a social-democratic party. The party, as said above, is now defunct. Most of its former members had joined the Liberal Party (1998), which in turn joined the Democratic Party.
The New Frontier Party (Shinshinto) was formed in December 1994 by a merger of the Japan Renewal Party, Komeito (Clean Government Party), Japan New Party, the Democratic Socialist Party, and other parties (excluding the Japanese Communist Party) outside the three-party ruling coalition of the LDP, SDP, and Sakigake.
Shinshinto announced to disband on Dec. 25, and six new parties will be launched in early January.
The other three parties expected to emerge include one made up of lawmakers loyal to Shinshinto head Ichiro Ozawa, one composed of supporters of his rival, Michihiko Kano, and a party to be set up by Upper House members who belonged to the former Komeito.
Shinshinto President Ichiro Ozawa finally abandoned efforts Friday to persuade Komei leader Tomio Fujii to drop the party's plan to field its own proportional representation candidates in next summer's Upper House election.
Shinshinto members did, however, decide to hold an election for party leader on Dec. 18, as scheduled.
When Shinshinto was formed in December 1994 by a merger of eight parties and one parliamentary group, Lower House members of Komeito, Komei's predecessor, joined Shinshinto outright.
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