TOKYO, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike on Wednesday said her new party will not toe the line of conventional politics and will operate beyond traditional constraints while aiming to "reset" Japan.
Ahead of a general election to be held next month, Koike, along with 14 lawmakers who have joined her new "Kibo no To" (Party of Hope), told a press conference Wednesday that her "tolerant, reform-minded conservative party will field as many candidates as possible nationwide in the House of Representatives election," expected to take place on Oct. 22.
On the occasion of the party's founding, Koike stated that amid a sense of crisis the nation needs to be "reset" in the best interests of security and economy.
"I am starting this party of hope today along with my friends who share this sense of crisis: that if we don't reset Japan now, we may not be able to fully protect our international competitiveness and national security," said Koike.
Goshi Hosono, who left the Democratic Party last month to form the new party with Koike, said that the new party's policies will be based on open-mindedness and realistic foreign policies.
"The party will develop a realistic foreign policy within the country's pacifist principles, work for a society that empowers all regardless of gender or age, and promote the wise spending of tax revenues," Hosono said.
