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The Yomiuri Shimbun Komeito leader Keiichi Ishii gives a stern look at the party headquarters in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, on Sunday.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
17:00 JST, October 28, 2024
Komeito failed to maintain its pre-election strength of 32 seats in Sunday’s House of Representatives election, with even party leader Keiichi Ishii losing his election. Although Komeito had pressed its coalition partner Liberal Democratic Party to strengthen regulations under the Political Funds Control Law regarding the LDP’s hidden funds scandals, Komeito bore the brunt of public backlash.
Ishii switched from the proportional representation segment to Saitama Constituency No. 14. and effectively ran as a parachute candidate. Despite becoming party leader in September, he was forced to prioritize his own electoral campaign, putting nationwide campaigning on the back burner. He received support from local LDP prefectural assembly members and fully mobilized the party organization to expand support, but ultimately fell short.
“The LDP’s problems created a headwind for the entire ruling coalition,” Ishii said on a radio program on Sunday.
In Osaka, where Komeito had built a stronghold often referred to as “ever-victorious Kansai,” the party faced its first all-out confrontation with the Japan Innovation Party in four single-seat constituencies. Although former Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi made three campaign appearances and even Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba visited, the party, including vice leader Shigeki Sato, experienced total defeat in the prefecture.
Additionally, Komeito’s decision to support 35 former lawmakers who had lost the LDP’s official endorsement due to the political funds scandals invited criticism from opposition parties, who called Komeito an “accomplice” of the LDP.
Komeito’s support base, Soka Gakkai, is reportedly experiencing weakening organization due to aging membership, and its vote-gathering power appears to be waning. Within the party, Ishii’s resignation is seen as inevitable, and rebuilding the party structure is an urgent task as Komeito looks ahead to next year’s Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly and House of Councillors elections.
