former Japanese political party that was formed in 1960 by moderate socialists who had broken away from the Japan Socialist Party the year before because of its alleged Marxist dogmatism and its definition of itself as a “class” party. The party traditionally was supported by organized labour. The Democratic Socialist Party participated in a short-lived governing coalition in 1993, and the following year, in opposition to the government, it joined the New Frontier Party (Shinshintō), a coalition of moderate political parties that disbanded in 1997. Many former members subsequently threw their support to the Democratic Party of Japan, which had been established in 1996 and became the leading opposition party.