Komeito

Komeito (公明党, Kōmeitō), formerly New Komeito (abbreviated NKP), is a centre to centre-right conservative political party in Japan founded by lay members of the new religious movement Soka Gakkai.[13] Komeito became a partner of the current coalition government in 2012.[14]

For the previous political party, see Kōmeitō (1962–1998).

Komeito 公明党 Kōmeitō
Leader	Natsuo Yamaguchi
Deputy Leader	Yoshihisa Inoue Kazuo Kitagawa Noriko Furuya
Secretary-General	Tetsuo Saito
Councilors Leader	Makoto Nishida
Founded	November 17, 1964 (1964-11-17)
Merger of	Kōmeitō (1962) New Peace Party Reform Club
Headquarters	17 Minamimoto-machi, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-0012, Japan
Newspaper	Komei Shimbun (ja)
Ideology	Conservatism[1] Cultural conservatism[2] Pacifism[3] "Humanitarian socialism" (self-proclaimed)[4]
Political position	Centre[5] to centre-right[6]^[a]
Religion	Soka Gakkai[7]
Slogan	Taishū to tomo ni[8] (lit. "With the public")
Representatives	29 / 465
Councillors	25 / 242
Prefectural assembly members[9]	206 / 2,668
Municipal assembly members[9]	2,710 / 29,762
Website
www.komei.or.jp
Politics of Japan Political parties Elections ^ a: also sometimes rated as centre-left[10] or right-wing[11][12]

As of July 2019, Natsuo Yamaguchi is the president of NKP and currently serves as a member of the House of Councillors in the National Diet of Japan (Japanese national legislature).[15]

After the 2012 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 general election[16] and to 25 seats[17][18] in the upper house after winning 14 in the 2016 general election.[19] In the July 2017 Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election, the Komeito garnered a total of 23 seats,[20][21] up one from the previously held 22 seats.[22] The party lost six seats, down to 29 seats in the lower house after the 2017 general election.[23]

Platform

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".[24] On April 24. 2019, joint task force efforts with its coalition partner[25][26][27] 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[28][29] related to the history of Eugenics in Japan.[30][31][32][33]

Domestically, the party proposals also 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.[34] The Komeito officially raised its environmental concerns later regarding Toyosu market during the October 5, 2016 Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Session. In response, newly appointed Tokyo Governor, Yuriko Koike cited possible disciplinary action towards those responsible for the Toyosu project.[35]

With regard to foreign policy, the Komeito wishes to eliminate nuclear arms and armed conflict in general. However, in July 2015, Komeito backed prime minister's Shinzō Abe's push for expanded military powers[36] although playing a moderating insider role in this development.[37] 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, housewives, etc. Until the appearance of the Komeito Party, such people were left on the sidelines.[38]

Relationship with Soka Gakkai

Komeito regards the Soka Gakkai as a "major electoral constituency",[39] having formally separated from the religious group and revised both its platform and regulations in 1970 to reflect a "secular orientation."[40]^:117 Observers continue to describe Komeito as the Soka Gakkai's "political arm",[41][42][43] however, and critics contend the relationship violates the separation of religion and politics enshrined in Article 20 of the Japanese Constitution.[44] The leadership and financing of the two groups are currently said to be independent.[40]^:123–27 Both groups report having occasional liaison meetings, characterizing them as informational and "open to the media."[39][45] 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."[46] "In spite of how many authors reiterate the 1960s-era image of Komeito as a party of Gakkai members only (e.g. Baerwald, 1986; Stockwin, 1989; Richardson, 1998; Curtis, 1999; Yoshikawa, 1999; Sado, 2005), scholars who look more closely at the Gakkai and Komeito know that the popular image of the party's exclusivity is inaccurate. Komeito partisans account for about half of the party's electoral support."[47]

Party organ

The party organ of Komeito is the Komei Shinbun. It is published by the Komei Organ Paper Committee,[48][49] and has also published a regional Hokkaido edition in the past.[50]

History

See also: Kōmeitō (1962–1998)

Opposition before 1993

Komeito began as the Political Federation for Clean Government in 1961, but held its inaugural convention as Komeito on 17 November 1964.[51][52] 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" or "fairness". Komeito's predecessor party, Kōmeitō, was formed in 1962, but it had begun in 1954 as the Kōmei Political League. It lasted until 1998.

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.[53]

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.[54][55][56]

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.[57]

Anti-LDP coalition government: 1993–1994

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.[58] 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 Reimei Club (黎明クラブ, "Dawn 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.[59]

Coalition with the Liberal Democratic Party since 1999

Komeito activists canvassing in front of Himeji Castle.

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, and did well in the 2000 and 2001 parliamentary elections.

The LDP-Liberal coalition expanded to include the New Komeito Party in October 1999.[60] 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.[61]

In the 2003 and 2004 Diet elections, 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 gains 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 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 and became an opposition party 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.[62]

On 16 December 2012 general elections, the LDP/New Komeito coalition secured Supermajority back into Government; former party chief Akihiro Ota (Ohta) is currently Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.[63] The party had also gained seats in general elections. In September 2014 the party changed its English name from New Komeito back to Komeito.[64][65]

In July 2015, Komeito backed prime minister Shinzō Abe's push to change the constitution to "give Japan’s military limited powers to fight in foreign conflicts for the first time since World War II". 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.[36]

On March 11, 2019, a project team of Komeito submitted proposals to Foreign Minister Taro Kono for an international agreement to regulate robotic weapons,[66][67] 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”.[68]

Leaders

No.	Name	Term of office		Image
		Took Office	Left Office
Komeito
1	Kōji Harashima	17 November 1964	9 December 1964
2	Takehisa Tsuji	9 December 1964	13 February 1967
3	Yoshikatsu Takeiri	13 February 1967	5 December 1986
4	Junya Yano	5 December 1986	21 May 1989
5	Kōshirō Ishida	21 May 1989	5 December 1994
New Komei Party
1	Kōshirō Ishida	5 December 1994	9 December 1994
Komei
1	Tomio Fujii	5 December 1994	18 January 1998
2	Toshiko Hamayotsu	18 January 1998	7 November 1998
New Peace Party
1	Takenori Kanzaki	4 January 1998	7 November 1998
Reimei Club
1	Kazuyoshi Shirahama	4 January 1998	18 January 1998
New Komeito
1	Takenori Kanzaki	7 November 1998	30 September 2006
2	Akihiro Ota	30 September 2006	8 September 2009
3	Natsuo Yamaguchi	8 September 2009	25 September 2014
Komeito
1	Natsuo Yamaguchi	25 September 2014	Incumbent

Election results

General election results

Election	Leader	# of seats won	# of constituency votes	% of constituency votes	# of PR Block votes	% of PR Block votes	Government/opposition
Komeito era
1967	Takehisa Tsuji	25 / 486	2,472,371	5.4%			Opposition
1969	Yoshikatsu Takeiri	47 / 486	5,124,666	10.9%			Opposition
1972	Yoshikatsu Takeiri	29 / 491	4,436,755	8.5%			Opposition
1976	Yoshikatsu Takeiri	55 / 511	6,177,300	10.9%			Opposition
1979	Yoshikatsu Takeiri	57 / 511	5,282,682	9.78%			Opposition
1980	Yoshikatsu Takeiri	33 / 511	5,329,942	9.03%			Opposition
1983	Yoshikatsu Takeiri	58 / 511	5,745,751	10.12%			Opposition
1986	Yoshikatsu Takeiri	56 / 512	5,701,277	9.43%			Opposition
1990	Kōshirō Ishida	45 / 512	5,242,675	7.98%			Opposition
1993	Kōshirō Ishida	51 / 511	5,114,351	8.14%			Governing coalition (until 1994)
							Opposition (since 1994)
New Frontier Party Komei faction era
1996	Komei faction	42 / 511	see New Frontier Party				Opposition (until 1998)
							Governing coalition (since 1998)
New Komeito era
2000	Takenori Kanzaki	31 / 480	1,231,753	2.02%	7,762,032	12.97%	Governing coalition
2003	Takenori Kanzaki	34 / 480	886,507	1.49%	8,733,444	14.78%	Governing coalition
2005	Takenori Kanzaki	31 / 480	981,105	1.4%	8,987,620	13.3%	Governing coalition
2009	Akihiro Ota	21 / 480	782,984	1.11%	8,054,007	11.45%	Opposition
2012	Natsuo Yamaguchi	31 / 480	885,881	1.49%	7,116,474	11.90%	Governing coalition
Komeito era
2014	Natsuo Yamaguchi	35 / 475	765,390	1.45%	7,314,236	13.71%	Governing coalition
2017	Natsuo Yamaguchi	29 / 465	832,453	1.50%	6,977,712	12.51%	Governing coalition

Councillors election results

Election	Leader	# of seats total	# of seats won	# of National votes from 1983: # of Proportional votes	% of National vote from 1983: % of Proportional vote	# of Prefectural votes	% of Prefectural vote	Majority/minority
Pre-Komeito era
1962	Kōji Harashima	15 / 250	9 / 125	4,124,269	11.5%	958,179	2.6%	Minority
Komeito era
1965	Takehisa Tsuji	20 / 251	11 / 125	5,097,682	13.7%	1,910,975	5.1%	Minority
1968	Yoshikatsu Takeiri	24 / 250	7 / 125	6,656, 771	15.5%	2,632,528	6.1%	Minority
1971	Yoshikatsu Takeiri	22 / 249	10 / 125	5,626,293	14.1%	1,391,855	3.5%	Minority
1974	Yoshikatsu Takeiri	24 / 250	14 / 125	6,360,419	12.1%	6,732,937	12.6%	Minority
1977	Yoshikatsu Takeiri	25 / 249	14 / 125	7,174,459	14.2%	3,206,719	6.1%	Minority
1980	Yoshikatsu Takeiri	26 / 250	12 / 125	6,669,387	11.9%	2,817,379	4.9%	Minority
1983	Yoshikatsu Takeiri	27 / 252	14 / 126	7,314,465	15.7%	3,615,995	7.8%	Minority
1986	Yoshikatsu Takeiri	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	Kōshirō Ishida	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	Takenori Kanzaki	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	Natsuo Yamaguchi	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

See also

• Category:Komeito politicians
• Politics of Japan
• Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)
• List of political parties in Japan

Literature

• 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

References

1. Filus, Dorothea M. (2010), "Interreligious Education and Dialogue in Japan", International Handbook of Inter-religious Education, Part One, Springer, p. 788
2. Fisker-Nielsen, Anne Mette (2012), Religion and Politics in Contemporary Japan: Soka Gakkai Youth and Komeito, Routledge, p. 32
3. "Overseas Business Risk - Japan".
4. 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。CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
5. • "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". 27 June 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
   • "Coalition partner keeps Japan's Abe in power — and in check". 17 October 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2020. Natsuo Yamaguchi, the low-profile leader of the centrist Komeito party
6. • 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.
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8. "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、 ...
9. 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 2019
10. "公明党は安保法制の「歯止め」か「触媒」か" [Is the Komeito party "stop" or "catalyst" in security legislation?]. 16 April 2015.
11. "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.
12. Jeffrey Haynes (2020). Politics of Religion: A Survey. "the NKP is a right-wing, conservative party with religious goals."
13. Matsutani, Minoru (2 December 2008). "Soka Gakkai keeps religious, political machine humming". The Japan Times, Ltd. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
14. Yoshida, Reiji (18 Dec 2012). "LDP charges back, vows to regain voter confidence". The Japan Times, Ltd. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
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21. Osaki, Tomohiro (2 July 2017). "Koike's camp clobbers Abe's LDP in historic Tokyo assembly election". The Japan Times, Ltd. Staff Writer. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
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24. (New Komeito, 2002)
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29. Siripala, Thisanka. "Japan's Forced Sterilization Victims Hit Back With a Wave of Lawsuits". The Diplomat. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
30. "Diet passes relief bill for the many victims of forced sterilization". The Asahi Shimbun. 24 April 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
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34. "Tokyo gov't investigating underground water at Toyosu fish market site". GPlusMedia Inc. Japan Today. 16 September 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
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36. Soble, Jonathan (16 July 2015). "Japan Moves to Allow Military Combat for First Time in 70 Years". Retrieved 19 March 2018 – via NYTimes.com.
37. Mette Fisker-Nielsen, Anne (November 1, 2016). "Has Komeito Abandoned its Principles? Public Perception of the Party's Role in Japan's Security Legislation Debate". The Asia Pacific Journal: Japan Focus. 14 (21, #3).
38. Sato, Masaru (2017). A Transforming Force. Japan: Daisanbunmei-sha, Inc. p. 30.
39. "About Us: On Politics and Religion". Komeito. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
40. Aruga, Hiroshi (2000). "Chapter 4: Soka Gakkai and Japanese Politics". In Machacek, David; Wilson, Bryan (eds.). Global Citizens. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-924039-6.
41. Métraux, Daniel A. (1994). The Soka Gakkai Revolution. Lanham: University Press of America. pp. 42, 55.
42. Corduan, Winfried (2012-10-22). Neighboring Faiths: A Christian Introduction to World Religions. InterVarsity Press. p. 479. ISBN 978-0-8308-3970-4. The Komeito severed its organizational ties to SG in 1970, but has nonetheless remaind the political arm of Sokka Gakkai in Japan
43. Palmer, A. (2012-12-06). Buddhist Politics: Japan’s Clean Government Party. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 13. ISBN 978-94-010-2996-4. even today, the Clean Government Party can hardly be called more than the "political arm" of Soka Gakkai
44. Okuyama, Michiaki (Spring 2010). "Soka Gakkai As a Challenge to Japanese Society and Politics" (PDF). Politics and Religion. IV (1): 84. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-02-26. 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.
45. Soka Gakkai Annual Report 2015 (Report). Soka Gakkai Public Relations Office. 1 February 2015. p. 72. 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.]
46. Lindgren, Petter Y. (2016). "Komeito's security ideals and collective self-defense: betwixt pacifism and compromises". East Asia (33): 235. doi:10.1007/s12140-016-9256-8.
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53. "Commitment to Privacy". Archived from the original on 2014-05-12. Retrieved 2015-02-19.
54. Kabashima, Ikuo; Steel, Gill (17 August 2012). Changing Politics in Japan. Cornell University Press. p. 38. ISBN 978-0801457630. 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.
55. McCormick, John (2012). Comparative Politics in Transition. Cengage Learning. p. 179. ISBN 978-1111832575.
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External links

• Komeito official website
• Komeito official English website