Latest news with #TetsuoSaito
Yomiuri Shimbun
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Komeito Struggling after Defeat in Upper House Election
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Komeito, which has been part of Japan's ruling coalition for years, is struggling, especially following its crushing defeat in last month's election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament. There are even calls for the party to give up on fielding candidates in constituencies and instead focus on the proportional representation system. Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito pledged to promote reform to rebuild the party in a meeting with local chapter representatives on Aug. 1 to review the results of the Upper House election. 'In order to achieve party revitalization, we will advance reform and make every effort to establish an unshakable foundation to win (elections) in any headwind,' Saito said. In the election, Komeito lost its seats in three constituencies, while its number of proportional presentation votes dropped to 5.21 million from nearly nine million it collected in the past. Komeito had set a goal of maintaining its 14 seats up for re-election, but it ended up winning only eight seats, the lowest since the party took its current form in 1998. Amid the aging of members of Soka Gakkai, a lay Buddhist group that is the party's main supporter, some have been calling on Komeito to withdraw from costly races in constituencies and put resources into proportional representation. But Komeito has continued to field candidates in constituencies by upholding its principles of being a party rooted in local communities. 'There is an option to focus on proportional representation in order to gain support nationwide,' a Komeito official said. The proposal for withdrawing from constituencies, which was put forward after the ruling coalition briefly fell from power following its defeat in the 2009 election for the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, may emerge again, the official said. The party's declining tide is also affecting its generational change. Keiichi Ishii resigned as Komeito leader only less than two months after assuming the post, after he was defeated in the Lower House election in October. Many middle-ranking Komeito lawmakers, who were seen as candidates for future party executives, also lost their seats in the election. Despite the defeat in July's Upper House election, there are few calls from within the party for Saito to step down because of a lack of personnel. 'Saito is likely to stay on for the time being. Who will replace him?' a Komeito official said.
Japan Times
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Komeito struggling after crushing Upper House election defeat
Komeito, which has been part of Japan's ruling coalition for years, is struggling, especially following its crushing defeat in last month's election for the House of Councilors, the upper chamber of parliament. There are even calls for the party to give up on fielding candidates in constituencies and instead focus on the proportional representation system. Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito pledged to promote reform to rebuild the party in a meeting with local chapter representatives on Aug. 1 to review the results of the Upper House election.
11-07-2025
- Politics
2025 POLLS: Komeito, JCP Struggle to Keep Once-Stable Support
News from Japan Politics Jul 11, 2025 19:56 (JST) Tokyo, July 11 (Jiji Press)--After decades of being backed by their unwavering supporter organizations and dedicated party members, Komeito and the Japanese Communist Party are struggling to secure support in the upcoming House of Councillors election. With their support bases aging, the two traditional parties lost seats in last month's Tokyo assembly as new forces emerged and votes were dispersed among many parties. Their proportional representation votes collected in national elections have also been on the decline. Faced with the tough situation, Komeito and the JCP are frantically calling for voters' support in the July 20 election for the upper chamber of parliament in hopes of maintaining their number of seats in the chamber. Speaking to reporters after delivering a stump speech in the western city of Osaka on Thursday, Tetsuo Saito, head of Komeito, said that the Osaka prefectural constituency is seeing a "fierce fight in which it's impossible to predict the number of votes we'll get." [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Japan Times
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Komeito and JCP struggle with aging support base as Upper House poll approaches
Two political parties that have long been reliant on strong organizational support and dedicated party members — Komeito, a junior party of the ruling coalition, and the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) — are facing growing headwinds in the campaign for the Upper House election. With their support bases aging, newer political forces gaining ground and too many parties for voters to choose from, both parties have struggled to maintain voter traction, causing them to lose seats in the Tokyo metropolitan assembly election in June. Their share of proportional representation votes in national elections continues to decline as well. 'We're in a fierce battle where it's hard to predict the outcome. We need to give it everything we've got,' Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito told reporters Thursday following a campaign stump in the city of Osaka. Komeito once boasted a rock-solid support base in the Kansai region — touted as 'invincible' — but the party suffered a complete loss in all four Osaka electoral districts in the Lower House election last October. Its proportional representation votes, which were once close to 9 million, dropped below 6 million — a record low. Under Saito's leadership, the party sought to reset its trajectory in the Tokyo assembly election, but for the first time in nine elections, the party failed to get a seat for all of the candidates it fielded. Party officials point to the aging membership of its main backer Soka Gakkai, a lay Buddhism group, as a key challenge. 'We're also seeing more cases where supporters (other than Soka Gakkai) are passing away,' one party insider said, underscoring the lack of generational turnover. Meanwhile, the JCP, which marks its 103rd anniversary this year, faces similar demographic difficulties. The party's proportional representation vote count has continued to slide, falling to 3.61 million in the 2022 Upper House election and 3.36 million in last year's Lower House poll. The party's official newspaper, Shimbun Akahata, which has been instrumental in breaking stories such as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's political funds scandal, is now struggling with declining subscriptions and has called for ¥1 billion in donations. The party's longstanding policy of cutting the consumption tax has also lost its edge, as nearly all opposition parties now include similar proposals, diluting the JCP's message amid an increasingly fragmented political landscape. In the Upper House poll, Komeito is aiming to retain its 14 seats up for reelection and set a target of 7 million proportional representation votes. The JCP is aiming for at least eight seats — up from the seven up for reelection — and an ambitious 6.5 million votes in the proportional representation. 'We still have a long way to go. I hope we can expand our support,' JCP leader Tomoko Tamura said at a campaign rally in the city of Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, on Thursday. Both parties are stepping up efforts to reach out beyond their traditional organizational base, turning to social media in a bid to attract younger voters. Komeito has launched a YouTube sub-channel where its candidates and officials hold talks with prominent online commentators. The JCP, meanwhile, has published a series of short videos addressing common concerns, such as, 'Would Japan become a communist state if we took power?' Party executives appear in the videos to answer those questions. 'We're still figuring things out through trial and error,' Saito said. Translated by The Japan Times
Yomiuri Shimbun
07-07-2025
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
‘We Will Raise Wages': Party Leaders in Japan Appeal to Voters in Campaign Speeches
On the first Sunday of the campaign period for the House of Councillors election, leaders of the ruling and opposition parties gave speeches in various places across Japan, appealing to voters with their proposals to address high prices and other issues. 'We will raise wages and strengthen the Japanese economy. The economy is definitely improving,' said Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, in Yokohama. He criticized the opposition parties that are proposing consumption tax cuts, asking, 'Where are they going to find the financial resources [for social security]? Can you define such behavior as anything other than irresponsible?' He also expressed concern about his party's election campaign: 'There are serious headwinds.' LDP coalition partner Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito referenced the fiscal 2025 budget in his speech alongside the prime minister in Yokohama to emphasize his party's ability to implement policies. 'When we say we will do something, we will do it,' he said. Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, spoke about the significance of consumption tax cuts in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. 'Japan has the highest inflation rate among developed countries. The crisis is on your dinner table. We will temporarily reduce the consumption tax rate on food from 8% to 0%,' he said. During his speech in Kyoto, Hirofumi Yoshimura, leader of the Japan Innovation Party, said: 'The burden of social insurance premiums is too great. This burden will continue to increase,' and promised to reduce insurance premiums through social security reforms. Tomoko Tamura, the head of the Communist Party of Japan, said in Yokohama; 'I would like to open the way for consumption tax reductions by any means through the power of the joint efforts of the opposition parties.' In Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People, called for income tax cuts. 'We will support the working-age population. I want to restore a society where salaries and pensions increase,' he said. 'We want to increase the amount of money we can spend. We want to abolish the consumption tax,' said Reiwa Shinsengumi leader Taro Yamamoto in Saitama City. 'We are calling for 'Japanese people first.' We want to protect the people's livelihood,' said Sohei Kamiya, head of Sanseito, in Saitama City. The party leaders also engaged in a war of words over the Japan-U.S. tariff negotiations on NHK and Fuji TV programs. 'We will not make easy compromises, so it will take time,' Ishiba said. A letter from U.S. President Donald Trump may arrive notifying Japan of tariff rates, but the prime minister insisted, 'We're prepared for any possibility.' Noda said that Ryosei Akazawa, the economic revitalization minister in charge of tariff negotiations with the United States, 'is not functioning' and urged negotiations between the leaders. Mizuho Fukushima, leader of the Social Democratic Party, and Naoki Hyakuta, leader of the Conservative Party of Japan, made television appearances. The election will be held on July 20.
