Japan’s Komeito withdraws from ruling coalition with Takaichi’s LDP

TOKYO — Komeito, the long-standing political partner of Japan's powerful Liberal Democratic Party, said Friday it is withdrawing from the ruling coalition following the election of Sanae Takaichi as the LDP's leader, citing policy differences.

Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito told Takaichi of the party's decision at a meeting in parliament.

The smaller Komeito and the LDP formed a coalition in 1999 and have worked closely together for 26 years. But the influential lay-Buddhist organization Soka Gakkai, which serves as Komeito's support base, is highly wary of Takaichi, who has strong conservative leanings.

Takaichi and her leadership team met with their Komeito counterparts on Tuesday, but they did not immediately agree to a policy pact, which they had done previously.

A major point of contention was Takaichi's appointment of Koichi Hagiuda, who was implicated in a political funding scandal that has roiled the LDP for the past couple of years, as executive acting secretary-general.

After she became LDP president on Saturday, Saito urged Takaichi to take steps to make a clean break from funding scandals, including by strengthening regulations on corporate and group donations. But the LDP was reluctant to impose regulations, and dissatisfaction with that stance grew within Komeito.

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