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Political parties

Japan's 26-Year-Old Ruling Coalition Collapses

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) longtime coalition partner, Komeito, announced its withdrawal from their formal partnership on October 10, 2025, dealing a significant blow to newly elected LDP party leader Sanae Takaichi's chances of becoming Japan's next prime minister. The decision was made due to differences over political funding scandals and ideological issues, exacerbating recent instability in Japanese domestic politics.

Key Takeaways:

  • The LDP's 26-year coalition with Komeito ended due to disagreements over political funding scandals and ideological issues, particularly Sanae Takaichi's conservative views and potential policies toward foreign nationals.
  • Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito expressed concerns about Takaichi's views and emphasized the need for the LDP to address the political funding scandals, which led to the coalition's breakdown.
  • The LDP's response to Komeito's proposal to impose stricter regulations on political donations was deemed insufficient, further straining the coalition.
  • Komeito cited the need to seek alignment with its core principles and become the "axis of a moderate reformist movement" as a reason for withdrawing from the coalition.
  • The collapse of the LDP-Komeito coalition leaves the LDP in a weak political position, having already suffered two electoral defeats in 2024 and 2025, and Takaichi's approval to become prime minister is now less certain.
  • The LDP may need to form a coalition with other opposition parties, but opposition parties are wary of binding themselves to a struggling LDP, and the Constitutional Democratic Party has offered to consider alternative prime minister candidates.
  • The collapse of the coalition is the latest development in an increasingly unstable Japanese domestic political environment, with unclear implications for the new Japanese government's formation and function.

Statistics:

  • The LDP and Komeito Coalition lasted for 26 years.
  • Komeito has 8.3 million member households in Japan.
  • The LDP suffered two electoral defeats in 2024 and 2025.
  • The Constitutional Democratic Party has offered to consider alternative prime minister candidates.

Sources:

  • Center for Strategic and International Studies
  • University of Oxford

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