It can be either moderate or extreme than the existing Japanese conservatives, as it mainly refers to a force or line that sets it apart from the right-wing conservatives of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
Junichiro Koizumi, the former prime minister (2001 – 2006), was called kaikaku hoshi because he pushed for neoliberal reforms, unlike shukyū hoshu, which has a traditional bureaucratic nature.
[4] In Kibō no Tō's declaration of the party's founding, which was re-established in 2018, it is said that "it aims for a 'new kaikaku hoshu politics'" (『新しい改革保守の政治』を目指す).
[5] Democratic Party For the People (DPFP) defines it as "a 'reform centrist' (Kaikaku chūdō, 改革中道) party led by people ranging from moderate-conservatives and liberals".
However, DPFP is generally considered centre-right 'conservative' and classified as kaikaku hoshu.