As the two countries continue to have differences over historical issues, these groups play an important role in out-of-sight diplomacy.
The restart, the first in the northeast, comes amidst controversial restarts in the country's west and debates over the energy source's role in a carbon neutral target.
On Sunday, 15 nations in the Asia-Pacific region signed the world’s newest multilateral trade deal, the massive Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
Despite polls showing Osaka Ishin remains popular that the anti-merger faction won by only 17,000 votes of over 1.37 million cast, the party and its movement are in deep trouble.
Powerful advisory group is now the administration's 'command center' for economic and strategy debates.
Tuesday's U.S. presidential election is being watched closely in Tokyo by those keen to anticipate its impact on the direction of bilateral relations in years to come.
The focus for many in local political party Osaka Ishin no Kai is now on how — or even if — they can continue under a new generation of leadership.
The referendum defeat dealt a heavy blow to the Osaka Ishin no Kai local political group, with Mayor Ichiro Matsui vowing to retire at the end of his term.
The status of Shigeru Ishiba's group is up in the air, while Fumio Kishida is exploring mergers with other factions to bolster his chances of becoming prime minister.
Tokyo has so far resisted domestic and international calls to join, saying a pact without the participation of nuclear powers was not practical.
