Komeito Ends 25-Year Coalition with Japan’s Ruling LDP

English , International - بین الاقوامی , Snippets , / Friday, October 10th, 2025

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Sources Xinhua
TOKYO, October 10 (QNA) – Japan’s Komeito Party announced Friday its decision to end its long-standing coalition with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), citing deep divisions over political funding reforms and key policy differences.
Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito informed newly elected LDP chief Sanae Takaichi of his party’s withdrawal from the coalition during a meeting in Tokyo, officially ending a partnership that has shaped Japanese politics for more than 25 years, public broadcaster NHK reported.
According to Kyodo News, discussions between Saito and Takaichi focused on three main issues: differing views on historical matters, including visits to the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine; Komeito’s concerns over policies perceived as exclusionary toward foreigners; and disagreements on political funding reforms. While some progress was made, the talks broke down over the third issue.
Saito stressed that political transparency remains Komeito’s top priority, criticizing the LDP for failing to take sufficient action to address corruption and improve accountability. Komeito had proposed strict limits on corporate political donations, including a cap of 20 million yen (about 130,800 U.S. dollars) per year to any single party — a proposal the LDP rejected.
The LDP, Japan’s main recipient of corporate donations, opposed the restrictions, preferring to maintain flexibility in funding individual lawmakers. “We cannot write the name of Sanae Takaichi in the vote for a new prime minister,” Saito said, confirming Komeito’s decision not to support her in the upcoming parliamentary session.
The breakup leaves the LDP without a guaranteed parliamentary majority to confirm Takaichi as Japan’s first female prime minister, forcing the party to seek support from opposition lawmakers. The two parties first joined hands in 1999, governing together for most of the past two decades.