TOKYO: Japan&#39;s ruling coalition collapsed on Friday after its junior partner Komeito quit, raising doubts about whether conservative Sanae Takaichi will become the country&#39;s first woman prime minister. The announcement came less than a week after Takaichi became the Liberal Democratic Party&#39;s fifth leader in as many years, tasked with winning back disaffected voters. What is the slush fund scandal? The main reason given by Komeito party chief Tetsuo Saito was what he called the LDP&#39;s failure to tighten rules on the funding of political parties. This follows a scandal within the LDP that emerged last year involving dodgy payments of millions of dollars related to ticket sales for fundraising events. The revelations cost then-prime minister Fumio Kishida his job, led to several LDP factions being dissolved and to voters deserting the party at elections. Takaichi caused particular consternation to Komeito by appointing Koichi Hagiuda, who was embroiled in the scandal, to a senior party post, reports said. &quot;For the Komeito party, which champions public integrity, it is difficult to explain this to its supporters and those working hard on the election campaign,&quot; Hidehiro Yamamoto, politics and sociology professor at the University of Tsukuba, told AFP. &quot;To them, it feels like they are losing elections with the LDP. There is little benefit to the coalition (for Komeito),&quot; he said. What else doesn&#39;t Komeito like? Komeito began in the 1950s as the political wing of the Soka Gakkai, a large lay organisation affiliated with a major Buddhist sect. Many members have voiced anxiety about Takaichi, who has promoted staunchly conservative policies and has been a regular visitor to the Yasukuni shrine. The shrine in Tokyo honours all Japanese killed in conflict, including convicted war criminals. The last visit to Yasukuni by a serving prime minister -- by Takaichi&#39;s mentor, the late Shinzo Abe -- in 2013 prompted fury from China and South Korea. What now? The LDP-Komeito coalition has governed nearly continuously since 1999 but, after poor election results, is now in a minority in both houses of parliament. This has made passing legislation difficult, requiring opposition support on a case-by-case basis. Media reports had suggested that Takaichi wanted to expand the coalition to include the Democratic Party for the People (DPP) since its economic policies have some overlap with hers. However, DPP head Yuichiro Tamaki expressed his support for Komeito on Friday and its &quot;extremely strong resolve to bring an end to the issue of politics and money&quot;. The LDP and the DPP together would still fall short of the 233 seats needed for a majority in the lower house. The LDP has 196 seats, the DPP 27 and Komeito 24. Can Takaichi still become PM? Takaichi needs a majority in her favour to be appointed by parliament, which appears difficult given the numbers. However, she is helped by other parties needing to agree on an alternative candidate with more support -- something that also looks unlikely. More probable is that all the parties will each put forward their own leader in a first round of voting, and that Takaichi then comes through in a two-way runoff. &quot;But if the opposition blocs unite to choose their own candidate, it means a change of government,&quot; Sadafumi Kawato, professor emeritus of the University of Tokyo, told AFP.

Japan's Liberal Democratic Party newly elected chief Sanae Takaichi speaks to media after a meeting with Japan's Komeito party leader Tetsuo Saito, at the party headquarters, in Tokyo, Japan October 10. (Reuters)

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The LDP-Komeito coalition has governed nearly continuously since 1999 but, after poor election results, is now in a minority in both houses of parliament.


Why Japan's coalition collapsed, and what next

TOKYO: Outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba &rsquo;s ruling party opened official campaigning Monday to find his replacement who can restore political stability and voter support for the beleaguered Liberal Democrats.&nbsp;Five candidates are vying for the Liberal Democratic Party&#39;s top job ahead of a highly unpredictable vote in early October. The race has a slogan: &ldquo;Change, LDP.&rdquo;&nbsp;The winner must act quickly to address rising prices if the party is to have any chance of winning back support following devastating losses to both the LDP and its junior partner Komeito in the past year, which deprived their coalition of a majority in either house of parliament.&nbsp;Its new leader is still likely to be the prime minister because the LDP remains the No. 1 party, while opposition groups are too splintered to form a coalition.&nbsp;Whoever becomes the LDP leader must also gain cooperation from the main opposition parties or risk facing constant no-confidence motions and a cycle of short-lived leadership.&nbsp;Vote for LDP parliamentarians and membersThe Oct. 4 vote is not open to the general public. It is limited to 295 LDP parliamentarians and 1 million dues-paying grassroots party members. That&rsquo;s less than 1% of Japan&#39;s eligible voters.&nbsp;A candidate who secures a majority becomes a party leader. If nobody wins a majority, there will be a runoff between the top two candidates in the first round.&nbsp;To be elected as prime minister, the new party leader will need votes from some opposition lawmakers in a parliamentary leadership vote, to be held within days.&nbsp;5 serving and former ministers in the raceAll five candidates are incumbent and former Cabinet ministers. They call themselves moderate conservatives as they emphasize their willingness to work with opposition groups. Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi are considered the top contenders.&nbsp;Here&#39;s a rundown of the candidates:Shinjiro Koizumi, 44: The son of a popular former prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, makes his second bid after running against Ishiba last year when he campaigned to reform the scandal-laden party. As agriculture minister for Ishiba, Koizumi released an emergency rice stockpile to lower prices and stabilize supply. Koizumi vowed to rebuild his party and listen to the people&#39;s voices more closely to address their concerns, such as rising prices, growing foreign population and public safety. If elected, he will be Japan&#39;s youngest leader since Hirobumi Ito, who in 1885 became the first Japanese premier at 44.&nbsp;Sanae Takaichi, 64: A prot&eacute;g&eacute;e of former prime minister Shinzo Abe, Takaichi lost to Ishiba last year in the runoff. A wartime history revisionist and China hawk, she regularly visits Yasukuni Shrine seen by Beijing and Seoul as a symbol of militarism. She supports more public spending and investment for growth and a strong military. She backs paternalistic family values and opposes a female emperor, as well as a revision to civil law to allow an option of keeping separate surnames for married couples &mdash; a change sought by rights groups so that women aren&#39;t pressured into abandoning their names.&nbsp;Yoshimasa Hayashi, 64: Chief Cabinet secretary of Ishiba&#39;s government, Hayashi is a moderate who promises steady wage increases, a strong economy, and a robust defence. He has served in a number of other key Cabinet posts, including foreign, defense and education ministers. The Harvard-educated politician is fluent in English. He sings and plays the guitar and piano in a pop band Gi!ns, which he formed with three fellow parliamentarians to make politics approachable.&nbsp;Toshimitsu Motegi, 69: Another Harvard graduate, Motegi has served in key posts including foreign and trade ministers and is known as a tough trade negotiator during U.S. President Donald Trump&#39;s first term. Motegi said the Japan-U.S. alliance is key to his country&#39;s diplomacy and that deepening the &ldquo;relationship of trust&rdquo; with Trump is essential.&nbsp;Takayuki Kobayashi, 50: A former economic security minister who promises strong growth, defense and national unity, Kobayashi is ultra-conservative and may split votes with Takaichi. Nicknamed Koba-Hawk, he promises a tougher restriction on foreign workers and says Japan&#39;s defense spending target of 2% of GDP is insufficient.&nbsp;A first female prime minister?If elected, Takaichi, an ex-newscaster whose role model is former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, will be Japan&#39;s first female prime minister. The country ranks near the bottom internationally in terms of gender equality, particularly in politics.&nbsp;Some experts worry that the hardline conservatives would set back women&rsquo;s advancement. Others say her revisionist views of Japan&#39;s wartime history may complicate ties with Beijing and Seoul.&nbsp;In a policy speech on Friday, Takaichi said she wants good ties with China, as an important neighbor and that her harsh comments about China are mostly related to economics. She did not say she would visit Yasukuni if she became prime minister but stressed her &ldquo;gratitude&rdquo; for those who sacrificed their lives for the country and are enshrined at Yasukuni.&nbsp;Cooperation with opposition is keyCooperation with opposition parties is vital as Japan faces a tense security environment and Trump is now expected to demand greater defense spending, experts say. Although still uncertain, cooperation between the ruling coalition and the key opposition, particularly in the area of security, is possible and could contribute to political stability.&nbsp;The new LDP leader and prime minister will need help from either or both of the center-right opposition groups, the Japan Innovation Party, or Ishin, and the Democratic Party for the People, with which the LDP has collaborated on budget bills.&nbsp;Koizumi has approached Ishin and, in August, visited the Osaka Expo, where party leader and Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura escorted him. Hayashi reportedly met with a senior Ishin lawmaker over dinner recently, while Motegi announced his willingness to form a coalition with the two parties.

Japan's Former Economic Security Minister Takayuki Kobayashi 

Five candidates vie to replace Japan’s PM Ishiba as LDP leader, with Koizumi and Takaichi leading.

Articles tagged with "Japan government"

Why Japan's coalition collapsed, and what next

Japan's ruling party opens leadership race to choose Ishiba's successor