Komeito May Decide Whether to Maintain Coalition with LDP on Friday

Tokyo, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–Komeito may decide whether the Japanese political party will maintain its coalition with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party after a meeting of the two parties’ leaders slated for Friday afternoon, Komeito chief Tetsuo Saito indicated Thursday. Saito showed the plan at a meeting held Thursday evening with representatives from Komeito’s local branches across the country. The meeting was for collecting opinions of local officials about the advisability of Komeito maintaining the ruling coalition with the LDP. As Saito maintains a hard-line stance by leaving open the possibility of his party exiting the coalition, the LDP-Komeito alliance, which has lasted over a quarter of a century, is now at a critical juncture. At the meeting, Saito said that there is “a large gap” between his party and the LDP over the issue of politics and money, indicating that Komeito may not cooperate with the LDP in upcoming parliamentary votes to elect the country’s new prime minister unless the LDP gives a sufficient explanation over the matter. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]