Komeito to Leave Japan’s Ruling Coalition with LDP

Tokyo, Oct. 10 (Jiji Press)–Komeito, the junior partner of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party, will end its coalition relationship with the LDP, including electoral cooperation, Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito said Friday. Saito informed Sanae Takaichi, president of the LDP, of his party’s plan to leave the ruling coalition at a meeting in parliament earlier in the day. The move makes it uncertain whether Takaichi will be elected prime minister at an upcoming extraordinary parliament session. The Komeito leader ruled out supporting an LDP-led government from outside the cabinet. At a press conference after his meeting with Takaichi, Saito said that Komeito would “wipe the slate clean” on its cooperation with the LDP, including in elections. Saito explained that the two sides were unable to bridge gaps in their basic stances on the issue of political funds. He criticized the LDP for failing to provide satisfactory answers at the day’s meeting to Komeito’s proposals to tighten restrictions on political donations by corporations and organizations and to further investigate a slush funds scandal involving LDP factions. “We can’t write Sanae Takaichi on the ballot to elect the prime minister,” he said. Komeito lawmakers plan to vote for Saito in the first round of the Diet nomination for prime minister. Saito avoided explicitly commenting on how party lawmakers will vote in a possible runoff. Saito added that his party will vote in favor of budget bills and legislation that it agrees with. He said Komeito lawmakers will support a supplementary budget bill if the party’s policy proposals are reflected in it. Komeito’s departure from the ruling bloc marks a major shift in Japanese politics, as the two parties had cooperated for 26 years since Komeito entered a three-party coalition with the LDP and the now-defunct Liberal Party in October 1999. They maintained their partnership during the roughly three years they were out of government from September 2009. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]