Komeito Leader: Party May Cooperate With Opposition, Will Support National Candidates Based on Merit, Policy

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:05 JST, October 12, 2025

Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito has indicated that his party might cooperate with opposition candidates in national elections, following Komeito’s decision to leave the coalition government with the Liberal Democratic Party.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun on Saturday, Saito also expressed his intention not to vote for an opposition candidate if there is a runoff in the prime ministerial election to be held during an extraordinary Diet session.

The LDP and Komeito cooperated for many years in national elections. Their basic arrangement was to back LDP candidates in constituencies and Komeito candidates in proportional blocs.

“We will basically support candidates based on their personal merits and policies in each region,” Saito said. “Based on our past work, I believe those candidates will be mainly LDP members, but it could also be candidates from other parties.”

Regarding Komeito’s position in a possible runoff for prime minister, Saito said: “Our basic approach is to either abstain or write ‘Tetsuo Saito.’ Personally, I can’t imagine writing the name of an opposition party candidate.”

As to issues of politics and money, Saito made clear the party’s intention to submit a bill to amend the Political Funds Control Law before next year’s ordinary Diet session. The aim is to pass such legislation to strengthen regulations on corporate and group donations.

The bill will be based on a proposal by Komeito and the Democratic Party for the People that limits the entities eligible to receive donations from corporations and organizations to party headquarters and prefectural-level organizations.

“We want the LDP to join us and get the bill passed,” Saito said.

On the subject of Komeito’s future course, Saito said, “We will demonstrate Komeito’s distinctive centrist approach, rather than join a coalition government.”