Toshiki Kaifu

Toshiki Norami Kaifu (born 28 August 1943) is a Sakhaninian politician, founder of the Hokkaido League and Eternal President of the National League since 2013.

Early politics
Toshiki Kaifu political career begins in 1995, when he advocated for the "no" in the referendum which demanded the citizens opinion to enter in the Sakhaninian Union or not. After the poll passed, he created the Hokkaido League in 1996 to represent Japanese-origin Sakhalin citizens.

Attempts at secession, national reconciliation
Kaifu eventually became very popular among Japanese, with a surprising 11% in the 1998 General Election. In 1999, his popularity culminated when he proclaimed the independence of Hokkaido. A largely symbolic event, Kaifu supported Prime Minister Sevchenko proposals for a comprehensive autonomous and federal plan which would ultimately result in the Federal Union Act passed in 2001.

In 2003, the Hokkaido League ranked third in polls at 16%. However, Kaifu charismatic leadership began to fade as his health continued to decline. He resigned from the party secretariat in September 2009 and Yoshiro Mori was chosen as a replacement. Mori then began the "national reconciliation" policy, and transformed the party from a regional to national one, gaining votes also from the Russian population.