The Japan New Party (日本新党 Nihon Shintō) was a Japanese political party that existed briefly from 1992 to 1994.The party, considered liberal, was founded by Morihiro Hosokawa, a former diet member and Kumamoto Prefecture governor, who left the Liberal Democratic Party to protest corruption scandals. In 1992, the party elected four members to the House of Councillors, including Hosokawa.