A minor political party in Japan, known as the Path to Rebirth, has announced an unconventional move to appoint an artificial intelligence system as its new leader. This decision follows the resignation of the party’s founder, Shinji Ishimaru, after the party’s poor performance in recent elections. Ishimaru, a former mayor from western Japan, had gained national attention when he surprisingly came second in the 2024 Tokyo gubernatorial race, largely due to an effective online campaign. However, his party failed to secure any seats in the latest upper house elections, prompting his departure.

Established in January, the Path to Rebirth party is unique in that it lacks a formal political platform. Members are free to determine their own policies and positions. Following Ishimaru’s exit, 25-year-old Koki Okumura, a doctoral student in artificial intelligence at Kyoto University, won a contest to succeed him and will serve as the nominal leader. However, Okumura stated during a press briefing that actual leadership decisions, such as allocating party resources, will be handled by an AI system. While specifics about the AI’s design and implementation timeline remain unclear, the party hopes this bold step will set it apart.

Despite gaining media attention for its unorthodox ideas, the Path to Rebirth has yet to achieve electoral success. All 42 of its candidates failed to win seats in the Tokyo assembly elections held in June, and none of its 10 candidates secured positions in the upper house vote in July.