In October 2015 the party expressed the need for the opposition to coordinate in order to overthrow the Abe government, which it sees as a threat to peace and democracy.

[7] Two of the party's three councillors, Ryo Shuhama and Ryoko Tani, announced their intention to retire when their terms expired in July 2016.

In April 2016 Shuhama cited the need to care for a seriously ill family member as his reason for not seeking a third term in office.

Former Nagasaki Prefectural Assembly member Seiichi Suetsugu was third on the party's ballot and former councillor Yumiko Himei was listed fourth.

Former party president Yuko Mori also won as an opposition-backed independent candidate in the Niigata at-large district, which she had previously represented for two terms from 2001 until 2013.

[2] However, the two Liberal Party MPs resolved to run as independents, eventually retaining their seats as an informal bloc in the 2017 election.

Leftist factions inside the party, led by Tarō Yamamoto, refused to merge into the DPFP and founded Reiwa Shinsengumi.