Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Chairman Sanae Takaichi (R) and Komeito Party leader Tetsuo Saito attend a meeting of party leaders at the Diet in Tokyo on October 10, 2025.
Str | AFP | getty images
Japan’s Komeito political party is reportedly leaving the country’s ruling coalition led by the Liberal Democratic Party, a move that could derail Sanae Takachi’s path to becoming the country’s first female prime minister.
Komeito chief representative Tetsuo Saito said after a meeting with LDP Chairman Sanae Takaichi that the LDP “failed to provide adequate answers regarding political funding issues,” public broadcaster NHK said Friday.
If confirmed, the split will end the political alliance that has existed since 1999. It comes just days before a parliamentary vote on October 15 to select Japan’s next prime minister.
Nikkei reported earlier Friday that Komeito had reservations about the alliance, and that Takaichi’s appointment as Japan’s next prime minister would be delayed until at least October 20.
A staunch conservative, Takachi won the LDP leadership race on October 4, defeating Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi to become the first woman to lead the party – and possibly Japan’s first female prime minister.
Takaichi has been widely labeled as the apostle of late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s economic strategy “Abenomics”, which supported loose monetary policy, fiscal spending and structural reforms.
His victory came after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced his resignation on September 7, after the LDP lost its majority in both houses of parliament in 2024 and 2025, forcing it to rule as a minority.
The LDP and Komeito currently have 215 seats each in the 465-seat House, short of the 233 seats needed for a majority.
Komeito’s exit will leave the LDP with 191 seats, although the LDP is still the largest party in the lower house.
It also means opposition parties could theoretically block Takachi’s confirmation as prime minister, though analysts say the risk is low.
His rise comes at a time of economic stress domestically and strained relations abroad — and tests whether Japan has doubled down on the conservative, pro-Abenomics agenda that has defined the past decade.
—This is breaking news, please check back for updates.
