Komeito
Komeito (公明党, Kōmeitō), formerly New Komeito and abbreviated NKP, is a political party in Japan originally founded by members of the Buddhist Japanese new religious movement Soka Gakkai in 1964.[15][16] The current incarnation of the party was formed in 1998. Since 2012, it has served in government as the junior coalition partner of the Liberal Democratic Party.[17] Natsuo Yamaguchi has been the president of the party since 8 September 2009 and currently serves as a member of the House of Councillors (the upper house) in the National Diet, the Japanese national legislature (elected in the 2019 Japanese House of Councillors election, constituency is Tokyo at-large district).[18]
Komeito 公明党 | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Natsuo Yamaguchi |
| Deputy Leaders | Kazuo Kitagawa Noriko Furuya Tetsuo Saito |
| Secretary-General | Keiichi Ishii |
| Councilors Leader | Makoto Nishida |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Merger of | Kōmeitō (1962) New Peace Party Reform Club |
| Headquarters | 17 Minamimoto-machi, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-0012 |
| Newspaper | Komei Shimbun |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Centre[7] to centre-right[8][b] |
| Religion | Buddhism (Soka Gakkai)[12] (de facto) |
| Colors | |
| Slogan | 大衆と共に (Taishū to tomo ni)[13] ("With the Public") |
| Representatives | 32 / 465 |
| Councillors | 27 / 248 |
| Prefectural assembly members | 197 / 2,598 |
| Municipal assembly members[14] | 2,689 / 29,425 |
| Website | |
| |
After the 2012 Japanese general election, the party held 31 seats in the lower house and 19 seats in the upper house. The number of lower house seats increased to 35 after the 2014 Japanese general election[19] and to 25 seats[20][21] in the upper house after winning 14 in the 2016 general election.[22] In the 2017 Tokyo prefectural election, the party garnered a total of 23 seats,[23][24] up one from the previously held 22 seats.[25] It lost six seats, down to 29 seats in the lower house after the 2017 Japanese general election.[26] In 2021 general election, the party gained 3 seats, increasing to 32 seats.[27]
Platform Edit
A self-proclaimed party of "humanitarian socialism,"[6] Komeito's declared mission is to pioneer "people-centered politics, a politics based on a humanitarianism, that treats human life with the utmost respect and care".[28] On 24 April 2019, joint task force efforts with its coalition partner[29][30][31] resulted in the passing of a bill mandating reparations and having the coalition government issue a formal apology to sterilization victims of the defunct Eugenics Protection Act, thus to advance human rights awareness in the wake of lawsuits[32][33] related to the history of eugenics in Japan.[34][35][36][37]
Domestically, the party proposals include reduction of the central government and bureaucracy, increased transparency in public affairs, and increased local (prefectural) autonomy with the private sector playing an increased role. In accordance with its public affairs transparency platform, it was reported that since September 2016, the Komeito conducted independent analyses for possible environmental contamination of the proposed Toyosu market site.[38] The Komeito officially raised its environmental concerns later regarding Toyosu market during the 5 October 2016 Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Session. In response, the newly appointed Tokyo Governor, Yuriko Koike, cited possible disciplinary action towards those responsible for the Toyosu project.[39]
With regard to foreign policy, the Komeito wishes to eliminate nuclear arms and Japanese involvement in armed conflict in general. However, in July 2015, Komeito backed prime minister's Shinzo Abe's push for expanded military powers,[40] although it did manage to moderate the policy.[41]
Religious scholar and political analyst Masaru Satō explains that in postwar Japan there were two major parties, the Liberal Democratic Party representing financial interests and large corporations and the Japan Socialist Party largely advocating the interests of trade unions and the working class. There was no single party that represented people who belonged to neither, such as shop owners and housewives, among others. Komeito was thus able to capture the support of this constituency.[42]
Relationship with Soka Gakkai Edit
Komeito regards the Soka Gakkai as a "major electoral constituency",[43] having formally separated from the religious group and revised both its platform and regulations in 1970 to reflect a "secular orientation".[44]: 117 Observers continue to describe Komeito as the Soka Gakkai's "political arm",[45][46][47] however, and critics contend the relationship violates the separation of religion and politics enshrined in Article 20 of the Japanese Constitution.[48] The leadership and financing of the two groups are currently said to be independent.[44]: 123–27 Both groups report having occasional liaison meetings, characterizing them as informational and "open to the media".[43][49] Numerous Japanese religious groups have established political parties in Japan, but statistics scholar Petter Lindgren states that "None have, however, been more successful than Soka Gakkai."[50]
Party organ Edit
The party organ of Komeito is the Komei Shinbun. It is published by the Komei Organ Paper Committee,[51][52] and has also published a regional Hokkaido edition in the past.[53]
Foreign policy Edit
The party promotes closer relations with China, earning it criticism from some hawkish members of the LDP.[54]
History Edit
Opposition before 1993 Edit
Komeito began as the Political Federation for Clean Government in 1961, but held its inaugural convention as Komeito on 17 November 1964.[55][56] The three characters 公明党 have the approximate meanings of "public/government" (公 kō), "light/brightness" (明 mei), and "political party" (党 tō). The combination "kōmei" (公明) is usually taken to mean "justice".[57] Komeito's predecessor party, Kōmeitō, was formed in 1962, but it had begun in 1954 as the Kōmei Political League. It lasted until it merged with the NKP in 1998.[58]
In 1957, a group of Young Men's Division members campaigning for a Soka Gakkai candidate in an Osaka Upper House by-election were arrested for distributing money, cigarettes, and caramels at supporters' residences, in violation of election law, and on July 3 of that year, at the beginning of an event memorialized as the "Osaka Incident," Daisaku Ikeda was arrested in Osaka. He was taken into custody in his capacity as Soka Gakkai's Youth Division Chief of Staff for overseeing activities that constituted violations of election law. He spent two weeks in jail and appeared in court forty-eight times before he was cleared of all charges in January 1962.[59]
In 1968, fourteen of its members were convicted of forging absentee ballots in Shinjuku, and eight were sentenced to prison for electoral fraud. In the 1960s it was widely criticized for violating the separation of church and state, and in February 1970 all three major Japanese newspapers printed editorials demanding that the party reorganize. It eventually broke apart based on promises to segregate from Soka Gakkai.[60][61][62]
In the 1980s Shimbun Akahata discovered that many Soka Gakkai members were rewarding acquaintances with presents in return for Komeito votes and that Okinawa residents had changed their addresses to elect Komeito politicians.[63]
Anti-LDP coalition government: 1993–1994 Edit
Kōmeitō joined the Hosokawa and Hata anti-LDP coalition cabinets in 1993 and 1994. After the collapse of the anti-LDP and anti-JCP governments (非自民・非共産連立政権) and the electoral and campaign finance reforms of 1994, the Kōmeitō split in December 1994: The "New Kōmei Party" (公明新党, Kōmei Shintō) joined the New Frontier Party (NFP) a few days later in an attempt to unify the splintered opposition.[64] The other group, Kōmei (公明), continued to exist as a separate party. After the dissolution of the NFP in December 1997, former Kōmeitō members from the NFP founded two new groups: the "New Peace Party" (新党平和, Shintō Heiwa) and the "Dawn Club" (黎明クラブ, Reimei Club) in the House of Councillors, but some ex-Kōmeitō politicians such as Shōzō Azuma followed Ichirō Ozawa into the Liberal Party. The Reimei Club merged into the New Peace Party a few weeks later in January 1998. Finally, in November 1998, Kōmei and New Peace Party merged to re-establish Kōmeitō (referred to in English now as "New Komeito" – the party's name is just Kōmeitō as before the 1994 split).
The Japan Echo alleged in 1999 that Soka Gakkai distributed fliers to local branches describing how to abuse the jūminhyō residence registration system in order to generate a large number of votes for Komeito candidates in specific districts.[65]
Coalition with the Liberal Democratic Party: 1999–2009, 2012–present Edit
The current conservative, more moderate, and centrist party was formed in 1998, in a merger of Kōmei and the New Peace Party. Since then it has joined coalition with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which need Komeito to maintain majority in the Diet (especially in the House of Councillors which the LDP lost majority since 1989), and did well in the 2000 and 2001 parliamentary elections.
The LDP-Liberal coalition expanded to include the New Komeito Party in October 1999.[66] New Komeito has been (and continues to be) a coalition partner in the Government of Japan since 1999 (excluding 2009–2011 when the Democratic Party of Japan was in power). As such, New Komeito supported a (temporary) change to Japan's "no-war constitution" in order for Japan to support the 2003 invasion of Iraq.[67]
In the 2003 Japanese general election and 2004 Japanese House of Councillors election, the NKP did well, thanks to an extremely committed and well-organized voter base coming from Soka Gakkai. The party shares its support base with the LDP, made up of white-collar bureaucrats and rural populations, but also gained support from religious leaders. However, on 27 July 2005, NKP's Secretary-General said that his party would consider forming a coalition government with the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) if the DPJ gained a majority in the House of Representatives. On 8 August 2005, then-Prime Minister and the president of LDP Junichiro Koizumi dissolved the Lower House and called for a general election, due to the rejection on some of the members of LDP for efforts to privatize Japan Post. The incumbent LDP-New Komeito coalition won a large majority in the 2005 general election.
Natsuo Yamaguchi became the party's leader on 8 September 2009 after the party and their coalition partner LDP suffered a major defeat in the 2009 general election, become part of the opposition for the first time since 1999. New Komeito lost ten seats, including that of party leader Akihiro Ota and general secretary Kazuo Kitagawa. On 8 September 2009, Yamaguchi replaced Ota as president of New Komeito.[68]
In the general election on 16 December 2012, the LDP/Komeito coalition secured a supermajority and came back into government. The former party chief Akihiro Ota (Ohta) is currently Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.[69] The party also gained seats in the general election in 2014. In September 2014 the party changed its English name from New Komeito back to Komeito.[70][71]
In July 2015, Komeito backed Prime Minister Shinzō Abe's push to revise the Constitution in order to "give Japan's military limited powers to fight in foreign conflicts for the first time since World War II".[attribution needed] This legislation, supported by the United States, would allow the "Self-Defense Forces to cooperate more closely with the U.S. by providing logistical support and, in certain circumstances, armed backup in international conflicts" and "complements guidelines in a bilateral agreement governing how Japanese and United States forces work together, which was signed by the two nations" earlier in 2015.[40]
On March 11, 2019, a project team of Komeito submitted proposals to Foreign Minister Taro Kono for an international agreement to regulate robotic weapons,[72][73] calling on Japan to build global consensus for a "political declaration or a code of conduct, within the framework of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons".[74]
Leaders Edit
| No. | Name (Birth–death) | Constituency / title | Term of office | Image | Prime Minister (term) | Government/ opposition | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | |||||||
| Komeito (1964–1994) | ||||||||
| 1 | Kōji Harashima (1909–1964) | Cou for national district | 17 November 1964 | 9 December 1964 | Satō 1964–72 | Opposition | ||
| 2 | Takehisa Tsuji (1918–2012) | Cou for national district | 9 December 1964 | 13 February 1967 | ||||
| 3 | Yoshikatsu Takeiri (b. 1926) | Rep for Tokyo 10th | 13 February 1967 | 5 December 1986 | ||||
| Tanaka K. 1972–74 | ||||||||
| Miki 1974–76 | ||||||||
| Fukuda T. 1976–78 | ||||||||
| Ōhira 1978–80 | ||||||||
| Ito 1980 (Acting) | ||||||||
| Suzuki Z. 1980–82 | ||||||||
| Nakasone 1982–87 | ||||||||
| 4 | Junya Yano (b. 1932) | Rep for Ōsaka 4th | 5 December 1986 | 21 May 1989 | ||||
| Takeshita 1987–89 | ||||||||
| 5 | Kōshirō Ishida (1930–2006) | Rep for Aichi 6th | 21 May 1989 | 5 December 1994 | ||||
| Uno 1989 | ||||||||
| Kaifu 1989–91 | ||||||||
| Miyazawa 1991–93 | ||||||||
| Hosokawa 1993–94 | Governing coalition | |||||||
| Hata 1994 | ||||||||
| Murayama 1994–96 | Opposition | |||||||
| New Komei Party (1994–1998) | ||||||||
| 1 | Kōshirō Ishida (1930–2006) | Rep for Aichi 6th | 5 December 1994 | 9 December 1994 | Murayama 1994–96 | Opposition | ||
| Komei (1994–1998) | ||||||||
| 1 | Tomio Fujii (1924–2021) | Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly for Shinjuku district | 5 December 1994 | 18 January 1998 | Murayama 1994–96 | Opposition | ||
| Hashimoto 1996–98 | ||||||||
| 2 | Toshiko Hamayotsu (b. 1945) | Cou for Tokyo at-large | 18 January 1998 | 7 November 1998 | ||||
| Obuchi 1998–2000 | ||||||||
| New Peace Party (1998) | ||||||||
| 1 | Takenori Kanzaki (b. 1943) | Rep for Fukuoka 1st | 4 January 1998 | 7 November 1998 | Hashimoto 1996–98 | Opposition | ||
| Obuchi 1998–2000 | ||||||||
| Reimei Club (1998) | ||||||||
| 1 | Kazuyoshi Shirahama (b. 1947) | Cou for Osaka at-large | 4 January 1998 | 18 January 1998 | Hashimoto 1996–98 | Opposition | ||
| New Komeito (1998–2014) | ||||||||
| 1 | Takenori Kanzaki (b. 1943) | Rep for Fukuoka 1st (1983–2005) Kyushu PR block (2005–2010) | 7 November 1998 | 30 September 2006 | Obuchi 1998–2000 | Opposition until 5 October 1999 (Obuchi First reshuffled cabinet) | ||
| Governing coalition since 5 October 1999 (Obuchi Second reshuffled cabinet) | ||||||||
| Mori 2000–01 | ||||||||
| Koizumi 2001–06 | ||||||||
| Abe S. 2006–07 | ||||||||
| 2 | Akihiro Ota (b. 1945) | Rep for Tokyo 12th | 30 September 2006 | 8 September 2009 | ||||
| Fukuda Y. 2007–08 | ||||||||
| Asō 2008–09 | ||||||||
| 3 | Natsuo Yamaguchi (b. 1952) | Cou for Tokyo at-large | 8 September 2009 | 25 September 2014 | Hatoyama Y. 2009–10 | Opposition | ||
| Kan 2010–11 | ||||||||
| Noda 2011–12 | ||||||||
| Abe S. 2012–20 | Governing coalition | |||||||
| Komeito (2014–present) | ||||||||
| 1 | Natsuo Yamaguchi (b. 1952) | Cou for Tokyo at-large | 25 September 2014 | Incumbent | Abe S. 2012–20 | Governing coalition | ||
| Suga 2020–2021 | ||||||||
| Kishida 2021–present | ||||||||
Election results Edit
House of Representatives Edit
| Election | Leader | No. of candidates | Seats | Position | Constituency votes | PR Block votes | Status | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | ± | Share | No. | Share | No. | Share | |||||
| Komeito era | |||||||||||
| 1967 | Takehisa Tsuji | 32 | 25 / 486 | 5.1% | 4th | 2,472,371 | 5.4% | Opposition | |||
| 1969 | Yoshikatsu Takeiri | 76 | 47 / 486 | 22 | 9.6% | 3rd | 5,124,666 | 10.9% | Opposition | ||
| 1972 | 59 | 29 / 491 | 18 | 5.9% | 4th | 4,436,755 | 8.5% | Opposition | |||
| 1976 | 84 | 55 / 511 | 26 | 10.7% | 3rd | 6,177,300 | 10.9% | Opposition | |||
| 1979 | 64 | 57 / 511 | 2 | 11.1% | 3rd | 5,282,682 | 9.78% | Opposition | |||
| 1980 | 64 | 33 / 511 | 24 | 6.4% | 3rd | 5,329,942 | 9.03% | Opposition | |||
| 1983 | 59 | 58 / 511 | 25 | 11.3% | 3rd | 5,745,751 | 10.12% | Opposition | |||
| 1986 | 61 | 56 / 512 | 2 | 10.9% | 3rd | 5,701,277 | 9.43% | Opposition | |||
| 1990 | Kōshirō Ishida | 58 | 45 / 512 | 11 | 8.7% | 3rd | 5,242,675 | 7.98% | Opposition | ||
| 1993 | 54 | 51 / 511 | 6 | 9.9% | 4th | 5,114,351 | 8.14% | Governing coalition (until 1994) | |||
| Opposition (since 1994) | |||||||||||
| New Frontier Party Komei faction era | |||||||||||
| 1996 | Komei faction | 51 | 42 / 511 | 9 | 8.2% | see New Frontier Party | Opposition (until 1998) | ||||
| Governing coalition (since 1998) | |||||||||||
| New Komeito era | |||||||||||
| 2000 | Takenori Kanzaki | 74 | 31 / 480 | 11 | 6.4% | 3rd | 1,231,753 | 2.02% | 7,762,032 | 12.97% | Governing coalition |
| 2003 | 55 | 34 / 480 | 3 | 7.0% | 3rd | 886,507 | 1.49% | 8,733,444 | 14.78% | Governing coalition | |
| 2005 | 52 | 31 / 480 | 3 | 6.4% | 3rd | 981,105 | 1.4% | 8,987,620 | 13.3% | Governing coalition | |
| 2009 | Akihiro Ota | 51 | 21 / 480 | 10 | 4.3% | 3rd | 782,984 | 1.11% | 8,054,007 | 11.45% | Opposition |
| 2012 | Natsuo Yamaguchi | 54 | 31 / 480 | 10 | 6.4% | 4th | 885,881 | 1.49% | 7,116,474 | 11.90% | Governing coalition |
| Komeito era | |||||||||||
| 2014 | Natsuo Yamaguchi | 51 | 35 / 475 | 4 | 7.3% | 4th | 765,390 | 1.45% | 7,314,236 | 13.71% | Governing coalition |
| 2017 | 53 | 29 / 465 | 6 | 6.2% | 4th | 832,453 | 1.50% | 6,977,712 | 12.51% | Governing coalition | |
| 2021 | 53 | 32 / 465 | 3 | 6.8% | 4th | 872,931 | 1.52% | 7,114,282 | 12.38% | Governing coalition | |
House of Councillors Edit
| Election | Leader | Seats | Nationwide (PR votes since 1983) | Prefecture | Status | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total[e] | Contested | Number | % | Number | % | |||
| Pre-Komeito era | ||||||||
| 1962 | Kōji Harashima | 15 / 250 | 9 / 125 | 4,124,269 | 11.5% | 958,179 | 2.6% | Minority |
| Komeito era | ||||||||
| 1965 | Yoshikatsu Takeiri | 20 / 251 | 11 / 125 | 5,097,682 | 13.7% | 1,910,975 | 5.1% | Minority |
| 1968 | 24 / 250 | 7 / 125 | 6,656, 771 | 15.5% | 2,632,528 | 6.1% | Minority | |
| 1971 | 22 / 249 | 10 / 125 | 5,626,293 | 14.1% | 1,391,855 | 3.5% | Minority | |
| 1974 | 24 / 250 | 14 / 125 | 6,360,419 | 12.1% | 6,732,937 | 12.6% | Minority | |
| 1977 | 25 / 249 | 14 / 125 | 7,174,459 | 14.2% | 3,206,719 | 6.1% | Minority | |
| 1980 | 26 / 250 | 12 / 125 | 6,669,387 | 11.9% | 2,817,379 | 4.9% | Minority | |
| 1983 | 27 / 252 | 14 / 126 | 7,314,465 | 15.7% | 3,615,995 | 7.8% | Minority | |
| 1986 | 24 / 252 | 10 / 126 | 7,438,501 | 12.97% | 2,549,037 | 4.40% | Minority | |
| 1989 | Kōshirō Ishida | 21 / 252 | 11 / 126 | 6,097,971 | 10.86% | 2,900,947 | 5.10% | Minority |
| 1992 | 24 / 252 | 14 / 126 | 6,415,503 | 14.27% | 3,550,060 | 7.82% | Minority (until 1993) | |
| Governing minority (1993–1994) | ||||||||
| Minority (since 1994) | ||||||||
| Komei era | ||||||||
| 1995 | Tomio Fujii | 11 / 252 | 0 / 126 | Did not participate in election | Minority | |||
| 1998 | Toshiko Hamayotsu | 22 / 252 | 9 / 126 | 7,748,301 | 13.80% | 1,843,479 | 3.30% | Minority (until 1999) |
| Governing majority (since 1999) | ||||||||
| New Komeito era | ||||||||
| 2001 | Takenori Kanzaki | 23 / 247 | 13 / 121 | 8,187,804 | 14.96% | 3,468,664 | 6.38% | Governing majority |
| 2004 | 24 / 242 | 11 / 121 | 8,621,265 | 15.41% | 2,161,764 | 3.85% | Governing majority | |
| 2007 | Akihiro Ota | 20 / 242 | 9 / 121 | 7,765,329 | 13.18% | 3,534,672 | 5.96% | Governing minority (until 2009) |
| Minority (since 2009) | ||||||||
| 2010 | Natsuo Yamaguchi | 19 / 242 | 9 / 121 | 7,639,432 | 13.07% | 2,265,818 | 3.88% | Minority (until 2012) |
| Governing minority(since 2012) | ||||||||
| 2013 | 20 / 242 | 11 / 121 | 7,568,082 | 14.22% | 2,724,447 | 5.13% | Governing majority | |
| Komeito era | ||||||||
| 2016 | Natsuo Yamaguchi | 25 / 242 | 14 / 121 | 7,572,960 | 13.52% | 4,263,422 | 7.54% | Governing majority |
| 2019 | 28 / 245 | 14 / 124 | 6,536,336 | 13.05% | 3,913,359 | 7.77% | Governing majority | |
| 2022 | 27 / 248 | 13 / 125 | 6,181,432 | 11.66% | 3,600,490 | 6.77% | Governing majority | |
See also Edit
Literature Edit
- Ehrhardt, George, Axel Klein, Levi McLaughlin and Steven R. Reed (2014) (Eds.): Kōmeitō – Politics and Religion in Japan. Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley
- Fisker-Nielsen, Anne Mette (2012), Religion and Politics in Contemporary Japan: Soka Gakkai Youth and Komeito, Routledge
Notes Edit
- ^ Komeito embraces market liberalism to some extent, but it also emphasizes social welfare,[5] and officially puts forward "Humanitarian socialism" as its main ideology.[6]
- ^ It is also sometimes rated as centre-left[9] or right-wing.[10][11]
- ^ as New Komeito
- ^ still used on English website
- ^ The Upper house is split in two classes, one elected every three years.
References Edit
- ^ Far Eastern Affairs. East View Publications. 1978. p. 112.
- ^ Ronald J Hrebenar, ed. (2000). Japan's New Party System. Avalon Publishing. p. 167.
The Komeito Returns: The Party of "Buddhist Democracy"
- ^ George Ehrhardt; Axel Klein; Levi McLaughlin, eds. (2014). Kōmeitō: Politics and Religion in Japan. Institute of East Asian Studies. p. 67.
- ^ Lucien Ellington, ed. (2009). Japan. ABC-CLIO. p. 168. ISBN 9781598841626.
... Because of this political strength, the Liberal Democratic Party has in recent years included the moderate to socially conservative Komeito Party in coalition governments.
- ^ "The hidden power of Komeito on Japanese politics". East Asia Forum. 3 December 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
Observers can expect Kishida to avoid difficult debates over security policy, expand social welfare spending, and consider only limited social reforms to satisfy Komeito.
- ^ a b Fujii, Tadashi; Igarashi, Jin. 日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)の解説 [Explanation of Encyclopedia Nipponica]. kotobank (in Japanese). Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
創価学会を支持母体とした中道政党。人間性社会主義の実現を掲げている。
- ^
- "今さら聞けない?! 「保守」「リベラル」ってなんだ？" [Can't you ask about them now ?! What are "conservative" and "liberal"?] (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- "Japan ruling bloc near agreement on security shift". Associated Press. 27 June 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- Harding, Robin (17 October 2017). "Coalition partner keeps Japan's Abe in power — and in check". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
Natsuo Yamaguchi, the low-profile leader of the centrist Komeito party
- ^
- Fisker-Nielsen, Anne Mette (2012), Religion and Politics in Contemporary Japan: Soka Gakkai Youth and Komeito, Routledge, p. 86
- "Élections au Japon: Shinzo Abe reste aux commandes". L'Express (in French). 22 October 2017. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
- ^ "公明党は安保法制の「歯止め」か「触媒」か" [Which is the Komeito party "stop" or "catalyst" in security legislation?]. 16 April 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
- ^ "Japan: Return of the Right". Frontline. 11 January 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
The LDP will be ruling in coalition with another right-wing party—the Komeito.
- ^ Jeffrey Haynes (2020). Politics of Religion: A Survey. "the NKP is a right-wing, conservative party with religious goals."
- ^ Metraux, Daniel A. (1996), "The Soka Gakkai: Buddhism and the Creation of a Harmonious and Peaceful Society", Engaged Buddhism: Buddhist Liberation Movements in Asia, State University of New York Press, p. 386
- ^ "公明党" [Komeito]. komei.or.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 July 2019.
... 結党以来のスローガン『大衆とともに』の精神こそ、 ...
- ^ Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, party membership statistics for chief executives and assembly members in prefectures and municipalities: Prefectural and local assembly members and governors/mayors by political party as of 31 December 2021
- ^ Klein, Axel; McLaughlin, Levi (2 September 2020). Pekkanen, Robert J; Pekkanen, Saadia M (eds.). "Kōmeitō: The Party and Its Place in Japanese Politics". The Oxford Handbook of Japanese Politics. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190050993.001.0001. ISBN 9780190050993. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
- ^ Matsutani, Minoru (2 December 2008). "Soka Gakkai keeps religious, political machine humming". The Japan Times, Ltd. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
- ^ Yoshida, Reiji (18 December 2012). "LDP charges back, vows to regain voter confidence". The Japan Times, Ltd. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
- ^ "Members: Mr. YAMAGUCHI Natsuo". House of Councillors, The National Diet of Japan. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
- ^ "Abe tightens grip on power as ruling coalition wins 325 seats in Lower House election". The Japan Times, Ltd. 15 December 2014.
- ^ Osaki, Tomohiro (11 July 2016). "LDP-led ruling bloc, allies clear two-thirds majority hurdle in Upper House poll". The Japan Times, Ltd. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ^ "2016 House of Councillors election result infographics". The Mainichi Newspapers. 12 July 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ^ Sieg, Linda; Funakoshi, Minami (11 July 2016). "Japan's ruling bloc wins landslide in upper house election". Thomson Reuters. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ^ Sieg, Linda (3 July 2017). "Japan PM's party suffers historic defeat in Tokyo poll, popular governor wins big". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
- ^ Osaki, Tomohiro (2 July 2017). "Koike's camp clobbers Abe's LDP in historic Tokyo assembly election". The Japan Times, Ltd.
- ^ "LDP trailing Koike's Tomin First no Kai in Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly race: poll". The Japan Times Ltd. Kyodo News. 25 June 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
- ^ Mayger, James; Dormido, Hannah; Warren, Hayley; Sam, Cedric; Leung, Adrian; Dodge, Sam; Qiu, Yue (24 October 2017). "Japan's Abe Has Pulled Off a Landslide—But He's Not as Popular as You Might Think [2017 Japan post-election analysis]". Bloomberg L.P. Bloomberg. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
- ^ Murakami, Sakura; Park, Ju-min; Takenaka, Kiyoshi (1 November 2021). "Japan's Kishida defies expectations as ruling LDP easily keeps majority". Reuters. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
- ^ (New Komeito, 2002)
- ^ "LDP, Komeito mull bill to compensate disabled for forced sterilization under old law". The Mainichi Newspapers. The Mainichi. 21 February 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
- ^ "Victims sterilized under Japan's eugenics law to get ¥3.2 million each under state redress plan". The Japan Times, Ltd. Kyodo News. 14 March 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
- ^ . Nippon Communications Foundation. Jiji Press. 31 October 2018. Archived from the original on 21 July 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
- ^ "Lawsuits over Japan's past forced sterilizations prompt ruling bloc to consider compensation ahead of court rulings". The Japan Times, Ltd. Kyodo News. 29 June 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
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The Komeito severed its organizational ties to SG in 1970, but has nonetheless remaind the political arm of Sokka Gakkai in Japan
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even today, the Clean Government Party can hardly be called more than the "political arm" of Soka Gakkai
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After its religious orientation was criticized by journalists and questioned in the Diet around 1970, Komeito declared that it would follow the constitutional principle of the separation between religion and state, officially separating Soka Gakkai and Komeito. But this issue continues even today as one of the targets of criticism against Soka Gakkai and Komeito.
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協議会では、公明党から、党の方針、態度、決定等について説明があり、それに対して学会が意見、要望を述べる。[At the council, Komeito explains the party's policies, attitudes, decisions, etc., and the Gakkai gives opinions and requests.]
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Other smaller parties include Komeito (the party officially became known as New Komeito in 1998), a party that Soka Gakkai formed in 1964 from its precursor, the Komei Political League.
- ^ McCormick, John (2012). Comparative Politics in Transition. Cengage Learning. p. 179. ISBN 978-1111832575.
- ^ Jeffrey Haynes Routledge Handbook of Religion and Politics Page 17 "Talking to young Japanese people one normally gets very little sense of enthusiasm about Buddhism, and few people seem to take seriously the notion that the New Komeito Party is a Buddhist political party. The Komeito or 'Clean Government Party' ..."
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External links Edit
- Komeito official website
- Komeito official English website