Tamaki resigned from government service in 2005 to run in the 2005 general election after both the Liberal Democratic Party and Democratic Party of Japan approached him to run. He chose to run as a DPJ candidate despite having recently worked in incumbent LDP Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Cabinet Office. He lost in this race, and spent the next four years living with his extended family in the countryside.[6]
In his second electoral attempt in the 2009 general election, he won a seat representing the Kagawa 2nd district, and the DPJ took over the reins of government from the LDP. Tamaki held this seat in the 2012 general election, after which he was appointed Deputy Secretary-General of the DPJ, and held this seat again in the 2014 general election.[6]
In 2019, Tamaki publicly proposed a meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss constitutional reform, as well as a debate in the Diet on constitutional revision.[9]
In September 2020, the DPFP disbanded, with most members joining the Constitutional Democratic Party. Tamaki and several other conservative DPFP members broke off to form their own party.[10] Among other issues, Tamaki did not agree with the CDP's approach to lowering the consumption tax.[11]
Yuichiro Tamaki in 2023
Tamaki has been criticised by other elected politicians in his party for aligning the Democratic Party for the People with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), particularly in cooperation between both parties on legislation.[12] This led to a split in the party on 30 November 2023, where five of its elected politicians – four members of the House of Representatives and one member of the House of Councillors – left the party to form the Free Education For All.[13][14]
In the House of Representatives election held in October 2024, Tamaki's DPFP achieved significant gains. With no single party reaching a majority, the DPFP, holding 28 seats, has become crucial in determining the balance of power. Western media referred to Tamaki as a "kingmaker." Although he received overtures from both Shigeru Ishiba and Yoshihiko Noda, he declined to join a coalition government, emphasizing a stance of deciding on each policy on a case-by-case basis.[15]
Political views
He supports the expansion of the Japan Self-Defense Forces' activities outside of Japan,[5] saying that the 2015 security laws should be amended instead of being repealed. Tamaki is supportive of amending the constitution, as he says that not setting out the scope of the Japan Self-Defense Forces gives Abe too much authority of what they can do. Opponents of this position, such as Hiroshi Ogushi, say that this is unnecessary. Tamaki opposes the Technical Intern Training Program, saying that it should instead by replaced with a program that specifies what industry a worker may work in and what country they may come from.[16]
