Komeito leaves ruling coalition, vows new start as centrist reform party
October 11 , 2025
Saito and Nishida told reporters that Komeito has parted ways with Japan’s coalition government on Oct. 10
Komeito went into the meeting with three key areas of concern. Two were adequately addressed, but the third—Komeito’s insistence that the LDP put an end to the illegal political financing practices engaged by a number of LDP parliamentarians—went unheeded. And since Komeito placed political reform as an overriding priority, Saito explained, an agreement between the two parties was therefore no longer tenable.
Saito told reporters that the LDP was fully cognizant of Komeito’s stand. It began engaging its coalition partner in a serious discussion, involving the Constitutional Democratic Party—the largest opposition party—from September, with all three parties agreeing in principle to seek meaningful political reform. Komeito reiterated its position when it first met with newly-elected LDP President Takaichi on October 7, specifically asking for some kind of concrete response when they met again three days later.
Nor did these discussions take place in a vacuum. Since 2024, Komeito had been urging the LDP to agree on establishing an impartial, third-party agency to track and audit political contributions as part of a larger political funding reform initiative. It worked with the opposition Democratic Party for the People and submitted a proposal to limit political donations to a political party’s national and prefectural organizations, thereby prohibiting a donor’s direct conduit to individual legislators. The end-goal, Saito said, was to restore voter confidence in the ruling coalition and public faith in the political process to bring about consequential change.
Despite Komeito’s pleas, the LDP remained noncommittal, merely issuing vague promises to put the matter before its members for consideration.
That a deep LDP cleansing was needed became painfully apparent when the two-party coalition lost its majority in both Diet chambers. In the wake of stinging defeats in successive national elections since October 2024, Komeito launched a sweeping internal review to analyze the setbacks and reaffirm the direction it must take going forward. The conclusion was clear: the voting public openly abhorred the LDP’s seemingly never-ending graft and its inability to police itself. Worse still, Komeito supporters chafed at having to defend its coalition partner in election campaigns while bearing the “guilt by association” stigma.
As it had declared in the election manifesto issued for the 2025 House of Councillors contest, Komeito would return to its roots as a party dedicated to reforming the system for the advancement of human security. It will no longer endorse LDP candidates nor seek reciprocal LDP endorsement of Komeito candidates in elections. Saito, however, clarified that Komeito would not summarily reject legislation the LDP submitted to the Diet, as expected of an ordinary member of the parliamentary opposition. It will back the LDP’s fiscal budget request and other bills Komeito also worked to develop while serving in the coalition. Cooperation with the LDP will be decided on a case-by-case basis, Saito noted, taking into account the trust built up with individual lawmakers as well as the policies and initiatives that align with Komeito’s own goals.
