LDP, Komeito Punt Agreement on Maintaining Ruling Coalition

Tokyo, Oct. 7 (Jiji Press)–Sanae Takaichi, the new leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and Tetsuo Saito, chief of its Komeito ally, failed to reach an agreement Tuesday on maintaining the two parties’ coalition and decided to continue discussions on the matter. Takaichi, who was elected LDP president Saturday, and Saito held talks in parliament to discuss the two ruling parties’ partnership. They found a gap between their stances on issues of politics and money. The results of the day’s meeting raised the likelihood that the start of an extraordinary session of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, and parliamentary votes to elect the country’s new prime minister to succeed Shigeru Ishiba would be delayed from the initially planned Oct. 15. Komeito is wary of Takaichi, who is regarded as very conservative. Saito asked her in their talks on Saturday, held soon after the LDP presidential election, to clearly sort out the issue of LDP lawmakers failing to book kickbacks from fundraising party revenues in political fund reports. Saito also conveyed to Takaichi his concerns about her repeated visits to Yasukuni Shrine, which enshrines Class-A war criminals among the war dead, and asked her for coordination on policies toward foreign residents of Japan. “We shared views on some points” regarding the issues of shrine visits and foreigners, Saito told reporters after the meeting, which lasted about 90 minutes. Saito said that he asked Takaichi to give a full explanation of the kickback scandal, saying “some testimony has still come out (at a criminal trial) on the scandal” while LDP members involved in the irregularities are said to have atoned for the misconduct through the October 2024 election for the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, and the election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber, in July this year. “We agreed on two themes, but it will take time a bit to reach agreement on the remaining one,” Takaichi also told reporters. The two leaders did not set a date for their next meeting. It is unusual for talks between the LDP and Komeito leaders for the confirmation of their coalition to be held several times. “I would only say that we will continue discussions” with the LDP, said Komeito Secretary-General Makoto Nishida, who was present at Tuesday’s Takaichi-Saito meeting. As the LDP-Komeito discussions have become complicated, the schedule to convene the extra Diet session is now in flux. A plan has been proposed that the session will start on Oct. 17. Opposition parties have demanded an early start of the session. Jun Azumi, secretary-general of the leading opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, on Tuesday asked Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party) to collaborate in the parliamentary votes to elect the new prime minister, apparently attempting to shake up the LDP. Earlier on Tuesday, Takaichi launched the LDP’s new leadership team. She named former Prime Minister Taro Aso, 85, as LDP vice president, and former General Council Chairman Shunichi Suzuki, 72, as secretary-general. Haruko Arimura, 55, former minister in charge of measures to boost the birthrate, was appointed to head the General Council. Former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi, 50, was given the post of Policy Research Council chairman. Former National Public Safety Commission Chairman Keiji Furuya, 72, was appointed chairman of the LDP’s Election Strategy Committee. Suzuki and Arimura are members of an intraparty faction led by Aso, while Furuya served as chief of backers of Takaichi in the LDP presidential election. Takaichi tapped former Policy Research Council chief Koichi Hagiuda, 62, who was involved in the political fund scandal, as executive acting secretary-general. Hagiuda is “a person who can fulfill his role while paying attention to young lawmakers at the same time,” the new LDP leader told reporters. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]