The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, have made peace, agreeing to revive their cooperation in Tokyo for the next Lower House election.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is also LDP president, met with Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi at a meeting of party leaders at the Diet on Sept. 4 where they signed the agreement.

LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi and Komeito Secretary-General Keiichi Ishii also attended the meeting and signed the document.

“Both parties must cooperate and overcome challenges in politics going forward,” Yamaguchi said after the meeting. “We reached the agreement with a broad perspective.”

Their relationship had soured over coordinating candidates to prevent the two parties from running against each other.

Yamaguchi added that Motegi acknowledged during the meeting that “there have been overstatements and misunderstandings from the LDP side.” He added that Motegi pledged that the LDP would fully support Komeito candidates.

Under the electoral cooperation setup between the two parties, Komeito has consistently endorsed LDP candidates running in single-seat districts around Japan.

In turn, the LDP has asked its supporters to vote for Komeito in the proportional representation constituency.

But their relationship was tested over fielding candidates in Tokyo, where the current 25 constituencies will be increased by five in a reapportionment move aimed at rectifying the disparity in the value of a vote in the Lower House electoral district.

In January, Komeito announced its intention to field former vice finance minister Mitsunari Okamoto, who represents the current No. 12 district, in the No. 29 district, which covers Tokyo’s Arakawa Ward.

In May, the party sought to field a second candidate in Tokyo, following Okamoto, and asked the LDP to cede the No. 28 district, which covers the eastern part of Nerima Ward.

The LDP refused.

Coordination efforts were unsuccessful and Komeito decided not to cooperate with the LDP in the Tokyo elections.

“The relationship of trust between Komeito and the LDP in Tokyo has dramatically fallen,” Ishii said.

In June, however, the relationship dramatically improved with the two parties signing a deal to mutually back candidates in electoral districts outside of Tokyo.

The relationship was repaired out of concern over the rise of opposition party Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party).

Komeito has been fielding candidates in six constituencies in Osaka and Hyogo prefectures, while Nippon Ishin, which has a cooperative relationship with Komeito in the Osaka prefectural and city governments, refrained from running candidates.

However, Nippon Ishin announced that it will field opposing candidates in all six constituencies in the next Lower House election.

Furthermore, in areas outside the Kansai region such as Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture, Nippon Ishin plans to run candidates against Komeito, leading both parties into a confrontation.

Nippon Ishin’s moves heightened the pressure felt within Komeito.

“It is impossible to contest a race with Nippon Ishin while the relationship with the LDP remains strained,” a Komeito member said.

The LDP also feared if it lost the votes of Komeito supporters, which are said to number 10,000 to 20,000 per constituency, it would lose many electoral districts in Tokyo to opposition parties.

LDP and Komeito both decided the split would be disadvantageous for both sides.

However, because the two parties had lost trust in each other, it was difficult for both secretary-generals to schedule a discussion. As a result, the top leaders had to hold direct talks.

“There were various circumstances, but we were able to agree to cooperate as the ruling coalition to stabilize politics,” Kishida told reporters on Sept. 4.

But it is unclear whether this will lead to an overall improvement in relations. An LDP member was concerned about whether local politicians can fully restore their relationship, while Komeito’s support organization remains unsatisfied.

“No matter how much work the top leaders do, if the front lines do not come together, there is nothing we can do,” a senior LDP official said. “Both sides need to make an effort.”

A senior official of Soka Gakkai, a key support base of Komeito, also said, “I sometimes feel that views between political parties and the front lines are different.

“Not everything is done in a top-down manner. It’s not that simple.”