Had Governor Koike's neoliberal thinking mattered that much, she would have left the LDP earlier.

She "left" when her star in the LDP had declined. She grabbed the opportunity to run in the Tokyo Gubernatorial elections, knowing full well that running against an LDP candidate would mean parting with the LDP.

When Abe called for new elections, she saw another opportunity: to form and lead a future large LDP habatsu (like former PM Tanaka's "gundan", or, alternatively, a party that would "poach" the LDP, the way she has done with the DP.

How many of the around 100 former DP Diet members running under the KNT banner share Governor Koike's neoliberal thinking or are "mice abandoning a sinking ship"? I don't know, but I wouldn't rule out a notable number.

Ehud Harari, A.K.

P.S. For the classic about "the man who seen (sic) his opportunities and took them" see, Peter Riordan, PLUNKITT OF TAMMANY HALL: A SERIES OF VERY PLAIN TALKS ON VERY PRACTICAL POLITICS (ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 1905!