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CORRECTED: New head of Japan coalition partner Komeito

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (R) and Tetsuo Saito (front, L), minister of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism, shake hands at the premier's office in Tokyo on Nov. 9, 2024, ahead of their talks after Saito was formally endorsed as leader of the Komeito party, the junior coalition partner of Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party.

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CORRECTED: New head of Japan coalition partner Komeito

Tetsuo Saito, minister of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism, holds a news conference in Tokyo on Nov. 9, 2024, after being formally endorsed as leader of the Komeito party, the junior coalition partner of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party, at its extraordinary party convention.

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Komeito's new chief Ishii

Keiichi Ishii gives a speech after being formally endorsed as the new secretary of Japan's junior ruling coalition partner Komeito at the party's convention in Tokyo on Sept. 28, 2024.

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Komeito's new chief Ishii

Keiichi Ishii gives a speech after being formally endorsed as the new secretary of Japan's junior ruling coalition partner Komeito at the party's convention in Tokyo on Sept. 28, 2024.

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Ishii to be new leader of Komeito party

Keiichi Ishii, secretary general of the Komeito party, the junior coalition partner of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, speaks at a press conference in Tokyo on Sept. 18, 2024. He will be elevated unopposed to the presidency of Komeito later in the month after no other candidate entered the race to replace incumbent Natsuo Yamaguchi.

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Ishii to be new leader of Komeito party

Keiichi Ishii, secretary general of the Komeito party, the junior coalition partner of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, speaks at a press conference in Tokyo on Sept. 18, 2024. He will be elevated unopposed to the presidency of Komeito later in the month after no other candidate entered the race to replace incumbent Natsuo Yamaguchi.

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Ishii to be new leader of Komeito party

Keiichi Ishii, secretary general of the Komeito party, the junior coalition partner of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, speaks at a press conference in Tokyo on Sept. 18, 2024. He will be elevated unopposed to the presidency of Komeito later in the month after no other candidate entered the race to replace incumbent Natsuo Yamaguchi.

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Ishii to be new leader of Komeito party

Undated file photo shows Keiichi Ishii, secretary general of the Komeito party, the junior coalition partner of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party. He will be elevated unopposed to the presidency of Komeito in late September 2024 after no other candidate entered the race to replace incumbent Natsuo Yamaguchi.

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U.S. Ambassador Kennedy talks with New Komeito's Yamaguchi

TOKYO, Japan - Natsuo Yamaguchi (L), leader of the New Komeito party, the junior partner in Japan's ruling coalition, and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy shake hands at New Komeito's headquarters in Tokyo on Dec. 18, 2013, prior to their talks. Kennedy asked for Yamaguchi's cooperation in securing an early conclusion to the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade talks. (Pool photo)

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U.S. Ambassador Kennedy talks with New Komeito's Yamaguchi

TOKYO, Japan - Natsuo Yamaguchi (L), leader of the New Komeito party, the junior partner in Japan's ruling coalition, talks with U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy (R) at New Komeito's headquarters in Tokyo on Dec. 18, 2013. Kennedy asked for Yamaguchi's cooperation in securing an early conclusion to the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade talks. (Pool photo)

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Tokyo gubernatorial election

TOKYO, Japan - Tokyo gubernatorial election candidate Yoichi Masuzoe (C) waves to supporters in the Japanese capital's Ginza district on Feb. 2, 2014. At left is Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and at right is Natsuo Yamaguchi, head of the New Komeito party, the ruling coalition ally of Abe's Liberal Democratic Party. A Kyodo News survey showed the same day that Masuzoe is leading the race ahead of the Feb. 9, 2014, vote.

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New Komeito's Matsu fills seat vacated by LDP's Kobayashi

YOKOHAMA, Japan - New Komeito member Akira Matsu speaks during a news conference in Yokohama on Sept. 7 after being formally moved up to fill the House of Councillors seat vacated by Yutaka Kobayashi, who resigned earlier this week over an alleged election violation by his staff. Matsu had lost her seat as the runner-up in the Kanagawa constituency in which three seats were contested.

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Retained land minister Fuyushiba is veteran Komeito lawmaker

TOKYO, Japan - Retained Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Tetsuzo Fuyushiba speaks at a press conference on Aug. 27. Fuyushiba is a veteran lawmaker of the New Komeito party, the junior coalition ally of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

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Abe reshuffles Cabinet, party leadership with veteran lawmakers

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (R) and New Komeito leader Akihiro Ota pose for a photo at the prime minister's office prior to Abe's Cabinet reshuffle on Aug. 27. Abe reshuffled his 11-month Cabinet and revamped his party leadership, in hopes of reviving his embattled administration following his Liberal Democratic Party crushing defeat in the July 29 upper house election.

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Politicians pay tribute to the late JCP leader Kenji Miyamoto

TOKYO, Japan - Representatives of major political parties in Japan pay tribute to the late Japanese Communist Party leader Kenji Miyamoto at a memorial service held in Tokyo on Aug. 6. From L to R: JCP chairman Kazuo Shii, House of Representatives Speaker Yohei Kono, former JCP Chairman Tetsuzo Fuwa, Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Hidenao Nakagawa (two persons away from Fuwa), Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama and New Komeito deputy leader Chikara Sakaguchi.

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1 week before Japan general election

TOKYO, Japan - Leaders of the ruling and opposition parties campaign across Japan on Dec. 7, 2014, a week before the Dec. 14 lower house election. They are (from R to L, top row to bottom row) Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of the Liberal Democratic Party; Banri Kaieda of the Democratic Party of Japan; Kenji Eda, co-leader of the Japan Innovation Party; Natsuo Yamaguchi of the Komeito party; Takeo Hiranuma of the Party for Future Generations; Kazuo Shii of the Japanese Communist Party; Ichiro Ozawa of the People's Life Party; Tadatomo Yoshida of the Social Democratic Party; and Hiroyuki Arai of the New Renaissance Party.

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Campaigning begins for Japan general election

TOKYO, Japan - Leaders of the ruling and opposition parties stump across Japan on Dec. 2, 2014, the first day of official campaigning for a lower house election. They are (from R to L, top row to bottom row) Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of the Liberal Democratic Party, Banri Kaieda of the Democratic Party of Japan, Kenji Eda, co-leader of the Japan Innovation Party, Natsuo Yamaguchi of the Komeito party, Takeo Hiranuma of the Party for Future Generations, Kazuo Shii of the Japanese Communist Party, Ichiro Ozawa of the People's Life Party, Tadatomo Yoshida of the Social Democratic Party and Hiroyuki Arai of the New Renaissance Party.

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Campaigning begins for Japan general election

TOKYO, Japan - Leaders of the ruling and opposition parties stump across Japan on Dec. 2, 2014, the first day of official campaigning for a lower house election. They are (from R to L, top row to bottom row) Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of the Liberal Democratic Party, Banri Kaieda of the Democratic Party of Japan, Kenji Eda, co-leader of the Japan Innovation Party, Natsuo Yamaguchi of the Komeito party, Takeo Hiranuma of the Party for Future Generations, Kazuo Shii of the Japanese Communist Party, Ichiro Ozawa of the People's Life Party, Tadatomo Yoshida of the Social Democratic Party and Hiroyuki Arai of the New Renaissance Party.

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New Komeito chief Yamaguchi secures 4th term until 2016

TOKYO, Japan - Natsuo Yamaguchi (L), head of the New Komeito party, the junior partner in the ruling coalition, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shake hands during a Komeito party convention in Tokyo on Sept. 21, 2014, after Yamaguchi secured a fourth two-year term as party leader until September 2016.

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New Komeito chief Yamaguchi secures another term

TOKYO, Japan - New Komeito party chief Natsuo Yamaguchi holds a press conference in Tokyo on Sept. 12, 2014, after securing another two-year term until September 2016. No other candidates filed for the party's presidential election.

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Japan lawmakers, China vice president agree to improve ties

BEIJING, China - A group of Japanese lawmakers, including Kiyohiko Toyama (R) of the New Komeito party and Democratic Party of Japan's Goshi Hosono, attend a press conference in Beijing, China, on Aug. 18, 2014, after meeting with Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao. Both sides agreed the two countries need to mend bilateral relations damaged over territorial and historical issues.

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Cabinet OKs collective self-defense, reinterprets Constitution

TOKYO, Japan - New Komeito party leader Natsuo Yamaguchi attends a press conference in Tokyo on July 1, 2014, after the Japanese Cabinet approved reinterpreting the Constitution so the Self-Defense Forces can defend allies under armed attack in collective self-defense. The junior partner in the ruling coalition failed to keep in check Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's push to enhance the country's role in global security.

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Japan gov't to seek Cabinet approval on defense policy

TOKYO, Japan - Senior lawmakers of Japan's New Komeito party -- (from R) Secretary General Yoshihisa Inoue, party leader Natsuo Yamaguchi and deputy chief Kazuo Kitagawa -- attend an in-house meeting on June 30, 2014, in Tokyo to discuss security issues. The government is in the final stages of talks on obtaining Cabinet approval to reinterpret the Constitution to allow Japan to exercise the right to collective self-defense.

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Ruling bloc eyes deal as gov't drafts decision on collective defense

TOKYO, Japan - Ruling bloc lawmakers -- (from R) Liberal Democratic Party Vice President Masahiko Komura, New Komeito party deputy chief Kazuo Kitagawa and New Komeito Secretary General Yoshihisa Inoue -- attend a meeting on June 27, 2014, in Tokyo to discuss Japan's exercise of the right to collective self-defense. The two parties are expected to reach an agreement after focusing on a review of Japan's legal constraints on the Self-Defense Forces under the pacifist Constitution.

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Senior ruling bloc lawmakers discuss collective self-defense

TOKYO, Japan - Senior lawmakers of Japan's ruling bloc attend a meeting on June 20, 2014, in Tokyo to discuss the proposed removal of the self-imposed ban on the right to collective self-defense. (From L) New Komeito party Secretary General Yoshihisa Inoue, New Komeito deputy chief Kazuo Kitagawa, Liberal Democratic Party Vice President Masahiko Komura and LDP Secretary General Shigeru Ishiba were among them.

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Senior ruling bloc lawmakers discuss collective self-defense

TOKYO, Japan - Liberal Democratic Party Vice President Masahiko Komura (R) attends a meeting of the ruling party lawmakers, together with the New Komeito party deputy chief Kazuo Kitagawa (C) and Secretary General Yoshihisa Inoue on June 20, 2014, in Tokyo. The LDP proposed Japan should participate in U.N. collective security operations that enable member states to defend each other against attacks, causing a backlash from the coalition partner against what would be a departure from the country's postwar policy.

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New Komeito chief Yamaguchi after talks with PM Abe

TOKYO, Japan - New Komeito party leader Natsuo Yamaguchi speaks to reporters at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on June 19, 2014, after holding talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over Japan's potential exercise of the right to collective self-defense at a meeting of the leaders of Japan's two ruling parties.

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Meeting of leaders of Japan's 2 ruling parties

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (L) and New Komeito party leader Natsuo Yamaguchi are seen in this combined photo. The leaders of Japan's two ruling parties met in Tokyo on June 19, 2014, over Japan's potential exercise of the right to collective self-defense.

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PM Abe, New Komeito chief to meet over collective self-defense

TOKYO, Japan - New Komeito party leader Natsuo Yamaguchi enters the prime minister's office in Tokyo on June 19, 2014, for talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to break the stalemate over talks related to Japan's use of the right to collective self-defense

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PM Abe, New Komeito chief to meet over collective self-defense

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe enters the premier's office in Tokyo on June 19, 2014, for talks with the New Komeito party leader Natsuo Yamaguchi to break the stalemate over talks related to Japan's use of the right to collective self-defense

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New Komeito holds meeting on security

TOKYO, Japan - The New Komeito party holds a meeting on security issues in Tokyo on June 17, 2014.

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Ruling bloc apart on collective self-defense

TOKYO, Japan - New Komeito party deputy chief Kazuo Kitagawa (L) attends a meeting with Liberal Democratic Party Vice President Masahiko Komura (C) and LDP Secretary General Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo on June 17, 2014, to discuss the government's drive to lift Japan's self-imposed ban on collective self-defense. The government set out on the day its draft overview of a Cabinet decision that would enable Japan to exercise the right to collective self-defense, but the ruling parties remained divided over Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's push for the major policy change.

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LDP offers new criteria for limited use of collective defense

TOKYO, Japan - New Komeito party deputy chief Kazuo Kitagawa addresses at the party's meeting on security issues in Tokyo on June 13, 2014. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party unveiled the same day a new set of conditions for Japan to exercise the right to collective self-defense in a limited manner, as talks with New Komeito intensified on reviewing the country's postwar security policy.

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Anti-collective self-defense protest in Osaka

OSAKA, Japan - Citizens hold a protest rally before the Osaka head office of the New Komeito party, Japan's junior ruling coalition partner, on June 4, 2014, urging it not to approve exercising of the right to collective self-defense.

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Ruling lawmakers discuss about right to collective-self defense

TOKYO, Japan - Lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito party gather at the Diet Members' No. 2 Office Building of the lower house in Tokyo on June 10, 2014, to discuss the removal of the self-imposed ban on the right to collective self-defense.

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Protest against exercising collective self-defense right

OSAKA, Japan - Citizens gather in front of the Osaka prefectural headquarters of the New Komeito party, the junior partner in Japan's ruling coalition, in Osaka City on June 4, 2014, to protest the government's move to exercise the right to collective self-defense.

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New Komeito deputy chief speaks at lower house constitution panel

TOKYO, Japan - Kazuo Kitagawa (C), deputy chief of Japan's ruling coalition partner New Komeito party, speaks at a session of the Commission on the Constitution in the House of Representatives in Tokyo on April 24, 2014.

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Right to collective self-defense

TOKYO, Japan - Kazuo Kitagawa, deputy chief of the New Komeito party, speaks in an interview with Kyodo News in Tokyo on April 18, 2014. Kitagawa cast doubt about Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's move to lift an outright ban on exercising the right to collective self-defense.

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Tokyo gubernatorial election

TOKYO, Japan - Tokyo gubernatorial election candidate Yoichi Masuzoe, a former health minister, speaks outside Kichijoji Station in the Japanese capital after the official campaigning kicked off on Jan. 23, 2014, for the Feb. 9 election. He is backed by the Liberal Democratic Party and its ruling coalition partner, the New Komeito party.

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Tokyo gubernatorial election

TOKYO, Japan - Tokyo gubernatorial election candidate Yoichi Masuzoe, a former health minister, speaks outside Shinjuku Station in the Japanese capital after the official campaigning kicked off on Jan. 23, 2014, for the Feb. 9 election. He is backed by the Liberal Democratic Party and its ruling coalition partner, the New Komeito party.

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Tokyo gubernatorial election

TOKYO, Japan - Tokyo gubernatorial election candidate Yoichi Masuzoe, a former health minister, speaks outside Shinjuku Station in the Japanese capital after the official campaigning kicked off on Jan. 23, 2014, for the Feb. 9 election. He is backed by the Liberal Democratic Party and its ruling coalition partner, the New Komeito party.

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Tokyo gubernatorial election

TOKYO, Japan - Former health minister Yoichi Masuzoe enters the headquarters of the New Komeito party in Tokyo on Jan. 16, 2014. The Tokyo branch of the party decided to support him in the Feb. 9 Tokyo gubernatorial election.

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Komeito chief Yamaguchi in India

NEW DELHI, India - Indian foreign minister Salman Khurshid (2nd from L) shakes hands with Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of the New Komeito party in Japan's ruling coalition, in New Delhi on Jan. 6, 2014.

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Komeito chief in Washington

WASHINGTON, United States - Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of the New Komeito party, the smaller of Japan's two ruling coalition parties, delivers a speech at a think tank in Washington on Sept. 10, 2013.

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U.N. chief, New Komeito leader

NEW YORK, United States - U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon (R) and Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of the New Komeito party, the junior partner in Japan's ruling coalition, are pictured ahead of their talks at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Sept. 9, 2013.

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U.N. chief, New Komeito leader

NEW YORK, United States - U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon (far L) and Natsuo Yamaguchi (2nd from R), leader of the New Komeito party, the junior partner in Japan's ruling coalition, hold talks at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Sept. 9, 2013.

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New Komeito party leader

TOKYO, Japan - New Komeito party leader Natsuo Yamaguchi is interviewed by Kyodo News in Tokyo on Aug. 29, 2013.

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U.S. senator in Japan

TOKYO, Japan - Robert Menendez (R), chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of the New Komeito party, the junior partner in Japan's ruling coalition, shake hands in Tokyo on Aug. 14, 2013.

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PM Abe day after election victory

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who leads the Liberal Democratic Party, arrives at the party headquarters in Tokyo on July 22, 2013, after the ruling bloc of the LDP and the New Komeito party won back control of the upper house in the election the previous day.

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PM Abe day after election victory

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who leads the Liberal Democratic Party, attends a press conference at the party headquarters in Tokyo on July 22, 2013, after the ruling bloc of the LDP and the New Komeito party won back control of the upper house in the election the previous day.