People's New Party
As president of New Party Nippon, he served in the House of Representatives of Japan in the Democratic Party and People's New Party parliamentary groups before becoming an independent (in terms of parliamentary group) in 2012. In the 2012 House of Representatives election, he lost his seat representing Hyōgo's 8th district to Kōmeitō newcomer Hiromasa Nakano – before 2009, the seat had been held by Kōmeitō's former secretary-general, Tetsuzō Fuyushiba.