LDP and Komeito Divorced

The Chief Representative of Komeito, Tetsuo Saito, told the President of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Sanae Takaichi, that Komeito would leave the coalition, ending partnership in the leading coalition which began 26 years ago. The main reason was LDP’s reluctance to set stricter regulation on donation from companies and organizations. Losing Komeito, the LDP led by Takaichi enters further unstable situation, in which maintenance of government is highly difficult. 

In the meeting with Takaichi, Saito requested the LDP to approve Kometo’s bill of revised Political Fund Control Act. While the bill, which was submitted to the Diet in March 2025, demands the donation to be accepted by party headquarters and only one branch in each prefecture, prohibiting small branches headed by lawmakers or local politicians. The LDP has expanded that kind of small branches to 7,800. Most of those branches will not be able to receive political donations under the regulation of Komeito’s bill.

 

Although Takaichi asked Saito certain period of time to consult with party members about the request, Saito demanded an immediate answer. Takaichi did not say to Saito that the LDP would approve Komeito’s bill. Realizing that Takaichi’s LDP was not willing to implement reforms on managing political funds, Komeito decided to dissolve 26-year-old partnership with the LDP. Saito declared that Kometo will vote for Saito, not for Takaichi, in the election of prime minister in the extraordinary session expected to be convoked in later October.

 

It is likely that Takaichi did not know, or ignored, significance of ethical political reform for Komeito. Komeito believes that significant defeats in the Lower House election in 2024 and the Upper House election in 2025 were caused by the slush fund scandal in the LDP. Facing against wind from the voters, Komeito reduced 13 percent of votes in the proportional district from 2021 Lower House election to 2024, and 15 percent from 2022 Upper House election to 2025.

 

In 2024 Lower House election, Komeito’s then chief representative, Keiichi Ishii, lost his seat in Saitama 14th district and resigned as the leader thereafter. It was highly embarrassing result of the election for Komeito. Although an LDP candidate achieved 111 thousand of votes in Saitama 14th in 2021 election, Ishii got only 60 thousand in 2024, despite the LDP did not field a candidate in the same district. That showed that most voters who voted for LDP in 2021 did not vote for Ishii in 2024.

 

When Komeito joined the leading coalition, formed by the LDP and Liberal Party, in 1999, those three parties agreed on promoting political reform. “The LDP will propose it and conclude with discussion until next extraordinary session of the Diet,” says the agreement on the issue of prohibiting donation from companies and organizations for establishing a leading coalition in October 1999. While maintaining the partnership for 26 years, the LDP never have implemented it.

 

For Komeito, the benefit of remaining in the leading coalition was eroded and LDP’s reluctance to political reform may give Komeito a crucially negative impact. “The answer from the LDP on political reform was that they would consider later and very insufficient,” said Saito. Saito stressed importance of restoring public confidence to the politics.

 

Takaichi’s confusion can be seen in her question to Saito. “If the president were not me, wouldn’t you leave the coalition?” she asked. That question can be interpreted as “Do you leave me, because you do not love me?” “It does not matter who would have been the LDP president,” Saito replied. Takaichi did not understand why Komeito was leaving the LDP even at the last moment of the long-time coalition.

 

It became unclear who will be elected next prime minister. Even if all the LDP lawmakers vote for Takaichi in the Diet, it does not reach a simple majority. Komeito is voting for Saito. The top opposition party, Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, is urging other opposition parties to elect a non-LDP candidate for prime minister. If some opposition parties are integrated to vote for one candidate and Komeito supports it, non-LDP administration cannot be said as impossible. However, no sign can be seen so far for them to be united.

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