Photo/Illutration Sanae Takaichi, the head of the Liberal Democratic Party, speaks with reporters on Oct. 10 while secretary-general Shunichi Suzuki stands by. (Wataru Sekita)

Smarting from Komeito’s decision to quit the ruling coalition, Liberal Democratic Party executives have  decided to play hardball against their former ally.

Discussions are already under way about running candidates against Komeito incumbents in Lower House districts in the next election, according to several high-ranking LDP officials.

One of the prizes could be the Hiroshima No. 3 district represented by Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito, who on Oct. 10 told LDP head Sanae Takaichi that their 26-year-long coalition partnership was over.

When they were buddies, the LDP and Komeito were in agreement about not fielding candidates in single-seat districts where the other party already has a candidate. Komeito ran candidates in 11 such districts in the 2024 Lower House election.

Now that Komeito is an adversary, the LDP will do everything possible to win more seats in the chamber, one source said.

Whether this translates into the LDP fielding a candidate in every district where Komeito has an incumbent remains to be seen. This is because local LDP officials who cooperated with their Komeito counterparts in the past may resist doing anything to damage those cooperative ties.

The LDP sources also said the party would now try to reach out to Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party) as a possible new coalition partner instead of the Democratic Party for the People.

Nippon Ishin holds 35 seats in the Lower House, while the DPP has 27.

Even if Nippon Ishin joins the LDP, the coalition would still not control a majority of seats.

And while new LDP leader Sanae Takaichi secretly met with Yuichiro Tamaki, the DPP head, about joining the coalition, she does not have a personal connection to anyone in Nippon Ishin who might be willing to meet with her.

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