On the 15th, Shinji Ishimaru, the former mayor of Aki-Takata City, who caused a sensation in the Tokyo gubernatorial election in July 2024, held a press conference to announce the launch of a new party. Shinji Ishimaru: The name of the new regional political party is "The Path of Rebirth." The logo of the new party was displayed on the monitor. The kanji for "rebirth" and "life" are connected by an arrow. He then explained the goal of the new party in his own unique way, saying, "Simply put, it is to wipe out politicians. Clinging to the seat of a council member is the root of all evil. I condemn them as the cause of Japan's decline." During his time as mayor of Aki-Takata City, Ishimaru was at odds with the city council. His scathing words to a sleeping council member, "Shame on you! Shame on you!", became a hot topic and brought him into the spotlight. He then suddenly ran for the Tokyo gubernatorial election in July 2024. His strategy of using SNS to expand his circle of support has been called the "Ishimaru phenomenon," and he has expanded his support to a wide range of generations. Although he lost to Governor Koike, he received about 1.66 million votes, more than Renho, and came in second. Shinji Ishimaru (November 2024): I'm thinking of starting a local political party for the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election. On the 15th, two months after this statement, he announced the launch of a new party. Ishimaru appeared at the press conference wearing a purple tie and suit. Perhaps purple is his image color, as the catchphrase "Move Tokyo" displayed on the monitor and the new party logo were all purple. Regarding the path to rebirth, Ishimaru explained, "I have felt for a long time that this country, Japan, is in trouble and that something needs to be done. I want to revive this Japan. I added the word "rebirth" to express that meaning." Regarding the reason for using "Rebirth" in English, he said, "It's a change that is so strong that it gives the impression of being reborn. I thought that this is what Japan needs now." Ishimaru expressed his intention to recruit candidates for the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election in the summer of 2025, with the aim of fielding candidates in all 42 electoral districts. The only thing we asked of the candidates was an "iron rule." Shinji Ishimaru: The party has only one promise: "Limit on re-election." As a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, from now on, the limit will be two terms, eight years. This is the "iron rule." In other words, there are no other restrictions. As long as the condition of a two-term, eight-year limit is met, "It's fine if you're a member of the Communist Party. You can serve as a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly as a Communist Party member, and then become a local assembly member. As long as you don't cling to being a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, you're welcome," he explained, and he would allow candidates to serve in other parties. Furthermore, when asked what he wants from candidates, he said, "We want people who can be an immediate asset. There are often politicians who say, "I'm going to study now," even during elections, or even after they've been elected, but don't be ridiculous. If you have them study from scratch, it won't work." He said that experienced governors, deputy governors, mayors, deputy mayors, etc. will be given priority as candidates, as they "have overwhelming knowledge." On the other hand, since the party did not announce the policies it would put forward, reporters were asked a series of questions about the policies. Shinji Ishimaru: (Q. What do you want to give back to the citizens of Tokyo?) I thought that question would come. We will not present any policies that we will realize as a party. (Q. Will each candidate put forward a different political party?) This is as expected, as you say. Each candidate will advocate what they should advocate in their respective electoral districts. He explained that the election campaign will be conducted in the "Ishimaru style" where each candidate will advocate a different policy. He also explained how the candidates will be recruited, saying, "The recruitment process will be in three stages. We will select them only three times." The interviews will be released on YouTube in the "Ishimaru style." In addition, for candidates who pass the final interview, he promised to cover the deposit and support the election. And he also provided support like this, which is unusual. Shinji Ishimaru: Is it a second career after the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, or a third career? It depends on the person, but I would like to support the next step. In addition, when asked whether he will run in the Tokyo Metropolitan A