LDP’s Aso Blasts Past Electoral Cooperation with Komeito

Osaka, Feb. 5 (Jiji Press)–Former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, vice president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, on Wednesday dismissed the party’s past electoral cooperation with its former coalition partner, Komeito, as “nonsense.” In a street speech in the western city of Osaka, Aso said that his party’s decision last October to form a coalition with the Osaka-based Japan Innovation Party likely caused difficulties for some people. “But there have been good things,” he said. “We no longer have to say nonsense such as ‘Write Komeito on proportional representation ballots.'” During the LDP-Komeito alliance, which lasted some 26 years before ending last October, the LDP called on its supporters to cast their proportional representation votes in House of Representatives elections for Komeito, in exchange for having Komeito supporters back LDP candidates in constituencies across the country. Aso’s remarks, delivered ahead of Sunday’s Lower House election, may draw the ire of Komeito officials. Komeito and the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan has formed a new party, the Centrist Reform Alliance, to contest the election. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]