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Japan's main opposition CDPJ, Komeito to form new party

Combined photo shows Yoshihiko Noda (top), leader of Japan's main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, and Tetsuo Saito, leader of the Komeito party, formerly a longtime ruling coalition partner, speaking to reporters following their meeting in Tokyo on Jan. 15, 2026. During the meeting, the two parties agreed to form a new party.

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Japan's main opposition CDPJ, Komeito to form new party

Yoshihiko Noda, leader of Japan's main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, speaks to reporters following a meeting with Tetsuo Saito, leader of the Komeito party, formerly a longtime ruling coalition partner, in Tokyo on Jan. 15, 2026. During the meeting, the two parties agreed to form a new party.

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Japan's main opposition CDPJ, Komeito to form new party

Yoshihiko Noda, leader of Japan's main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, speaks to reporters following a meeting with Tetsuo Saito, leader of the Komeito party, formerly a longtime ruling coalition partner, in Tokyo on Jan. 15, 2026. During the meeting, the two parties agreed to form a new party.

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Japan's main opposition CDPJ, Komeito to form new party

Yoshihiko Noda, leader of Japan's main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, speaks to reporters following a meeting with Tetsuo Saito, leader of the Komeito party, formerly a longtime ruling coalition partner, in Tokyo on Jan. 15, 2026. During the meeting, the two parties agreed to form a new party.

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Japan's main opposition CDPJ, Komeito to form new party

Tetsuo Saito, leader of the Komeito party, formerly a longtime ruling coalition partner, speaks to reporters following a meeting with Yoshihiko Noda, leader of Japan's main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, in Tokyo on Jan. 15, 2026. During the meeting, the two parties agreed to form a new party.

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Japan's main opposition CDPJ, Komeito to form new party

Tetsuo Saito, leader of the Komeito party, formerly a longtime ruling coalition partner, speaks to reporters following a meeting with Yoshihiko Noda, leader of Japan's main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, in Tokyo on Jan. 15, 2026. During the meeting, the two parties agreed to form a new party.

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Japan's main opposition CDPJ, Komeito to form new party

Tetsuo Saito, leader of the Komeito party, formerly a longtime ruling coalition partner, speaks to reporters following a meeting with Yoshihiko Noda, leader of Japan's main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, in Tokyo on Jan. 15, 2026. During the meeting, the two parties agreed to form a new party.

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Japan's main opposition CDPJ, Komeito to form new party

Combined photo shows Yoshihiko Noda (L), leader of Japan's main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, and Tetsuo Saito, leader of the Komeito party, formerly a longtime ruling coalition partner, heading for a meeting in Tokyo on Jan. 15, 2026. During the meeting, the two parties agreed to form a new party ahead of a possible snap general election.

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Japan's main opposition CDPJ, Komeito to form new party

Tetsuo Saito, leader of the Komeito party, formerly a longtime ruling coalition partner, heads for a meeting with Yoshihiko Noda, leader of Japan's main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, at the Diet in Tokyo on Jan. 15, 2026. During the meeting, the two parties agreed to form a new party ahead of a looming snap general election.

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Japan's main opposition CDPJ, Komeito to form new party

Yoshihiko Noda (front), leader of Japan's main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, heads for a meeting with Tetsuo Saito, leader of the Komeito party, formerly a longtime ruling coalition partner, at the Diet in Tokyo on Jan. 15, 2026. During the meeting, the two parties agreed to form a new party ahead of a looming snap general election.

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Japan Innovation Party leader Yoshimura

Hirofumi Yoshimura, leader of the Japan Innovation Party, the second largest opposition force, speaks to the press in Tokyo on Oct, 15, 2025, following his meeting with new ruling Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi, alongside JIP co-leader Fumitake Fujita. The two parties agreed to begin talks on forming a coalition government.

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Nonpartisan meeting over imperial succession

Lawmakers of Japanese ruling and opposition parties resume a meeting in Tokyo on May 17, 2024, after a hiatus of about two years and four months to discuss ways to ensure stable imperial succession.

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Parliamentary elections kick off in Croatia

STORY: Parliamentary elections kick off in Croatia SHOOTING TIME: April 17, 2024 DATELINE: April 17, 2024 LENGTH: 00:01:12 LOCATION: Zagreb CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of billboard of the Croatian Democratic Union and Croatian Social Democratic Party 2. various of Croatian President Zoran Milanovic casting ballot 3. various of Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic casting ballot STORYLINE: Parliamentary elections in Croatia kicked off on Wednesday morning, with 2,302 candidates from 59 political parties and independent candidates competing for 151 seats in the parliament. According to the State Election Commission, over 3.73 million registered voters, both locally and overseas, are registered in Croatia this year. The first results are expected to be announced on Wednesday evening. The top two parties are the ruling Croatian Democratic Union, headed by Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, and the alliance of parties led by the center-left Croatian Social Democratic Party. However

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Zardari wins Pakistan's presidential election

STORY: Zardari wins Pakistan's presidential election SHOOTING TIME: March 9, 2024 DATELINE: March 10, 2024 LENGTH: 00:01:23 LOCATION: Islamabad CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of the voting, count of votes and announcement of the result STORYLINE: Ruling coalition candidate Asif Ali Zardari won the presidential election of Pakistan with an overwhelming lead on Saturday, the Election Commission of Pakistan announced. Zardari won the election by taking 411 votes from all the electoral colleges, including parliament and four provincial assemblies, the commission said. Zardari got 255 votes in the joint session of the two houses of the parliament, including the Senate and the National Assembly, 43 votes from the eastern Punjab province, eight from the northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, 47 votes from the southwest Balochistan province and 58 votes from the southern Sindh province. Zardari's rival Mahmood Khan Achakzai, joint candidate of the opposition parties, secured a total of 181 vot

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Nagano Gov. Abe re-elected

NAGANO, Japan - Nagano Gov. Shuichi Abe holds flowers in the city of Nagano on Aug. 10, 2014, after being re-elected in the gubernatorial election for a second four-year term. Supported by major political parties including the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, Abe beat two challengers.

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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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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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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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CORRECTED Secretaries general of DPJ, LDP, New Komeito

TOKYO, Japan - ADDING 'PARTY' AFTER NEW KOMEITO Secretaries general of the ruling and two largest opposition parties -- (from R) Azuma Koshiishi of the Democratic Party of Japan, Nobuteru Ishihara of the Liberal Democratic Party, and Yoshihisa Inoue of New Komeito party -- hold talks at the Diet building in Tokyo on Oct. 6, 2011. The DPJ called for the opposition parties' cooperation to secure quick Diet passage of the third extra budget for FY 2011, designed to fund reconstruction of areas devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

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Kamei to resign as minister

TOKYO, Japan - People's New Party leader Shizuka Kamei (R) speaks during a news conference with party Secretary General Shozaburo Jimi in Tokyo on June 11, 2010. Kamei announced his resignation as postal and finance services minister in protest against the ruling Democratic Party of Japan's failure to fulfill an accord between the two parties over a postal reform bill, and expressed hope that Jimi will succeed his post.

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Kamei to resign as minister

TOKYO, Japan - People's New Party leader Shizuka Kamei speaks during a news conference to announce his resignation as postal reform minister and financial services minister in Tokyo early June 11, 2010. Kamei protested the ruling Democratic Party of Japan's failure to fulfill an accord between the two parties over a postal reform bill, but said his party will not leave the coalition.

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Kamei to resign as minister

TOKYO, Japan - People's New Party leader Shizuka Kamei speaks during a news conference to announce his resignation as postal reform minister and financial services minister in Tokyo early June 11, 2010. Kamei protested the ruling Democratic Party of Japan's failure to fulfill an accord between the two parties over a postal reform bill, but said his party will not leave the coalition.

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Upper house rejects road tax bill

TOKYO, Japan - An electric signboard shows the House of Councillors on May 12 voting down a bill aimed at enabling the government to continue allocating gasoline tax revenues for road maintenance for 10 years. The bill is expected to eventually gain Diet approval because the ruling parties plan to hold a revote on May 13 at the more powerful House of Representatives to override the upper house decision with its two-thirds majority.

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107 lawmakers from 4 parties join group on decentralization

TOKYO, Japan - Masayasu Kitagawa (2nd from R), a former governor of Mie Prefecture, who heads a group consisting of the governors of 13 prefectures, municipal chiefs and experts, speaks during a joint meeting with a multiparty group of 107 lawmakers from four parties, including both ruling and opposition parties, at a Tokyo hotel on March 3. The two groups aim to promote decentralization.

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Ruling side-backed Hashimoto wins Osaka gubernatorial election

OSAKA, Japan - Toru Hashimoto (C), surrounded by supporters, celebrates at his election campaign office in Osaka Jan. 27 after winning the Osaka gubernatorial election. Lawyer and TV celebrity Hashimoto, 38, backed by the two ruling coalition parties, defeated his main challenger, Sadatoshi Kumagai, 63.

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Senior LDP exec calls for broader exchange between Japan, China

BEIJING, China - Sadakazu Tanigaki, head of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party's Policy Research Council, delivers a speech at a meeting of Japanese and Chinese ruling parties in Beijing on Nov. 23, calling for a broader exchange between the politicians of the two countries.

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Senior LDP exec calls for broader exchange between Japan, China

BEIJING, China - Sadakazu Tanigaki (C), head of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party's Policy Research Council, attends a meeting of Japanese and Chinese ruling parties in Beijing on Nov. 23. In an address to the gathering, Tanigaki called for a broader exchange between the politicians of the two countries.

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Gov't to map out plan to integrate two pension programs by April

TOKYO, Japan - Government officials and members of the ruling parties discuss mapping out a plan to integrate two of the country's three public pension programs -- those for corporate and public employees -- at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Jan. 16. Photo shows (from R to L) welfare minister Jiro Kawasaki, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki and Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Heizo Takenaka.

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Lawmakers visit Meiji Shrine, to learn from Russo-Japanese war

TOKYO, Japan - About 40 lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) visit Meiji Shrine in Tokyo on Feb. 10, the 100th anniversary of Japan's declaration of war against Russia that led to the 1904-1905 Russo-Japanese War. The lawmakers from the two parties launched a study group aimed at drawing lessons from the war.

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Koizumi set to form new cabinet Nov. 19

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi speaks to reporters at the headquarters of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party in Tokyo on Nov. 10, one day after his governing coalition which includes two other parties -- the New Komeito and the New Conservative Party -- retained a majority in the House of Representatives general election.

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Lawmakers of new DPJ hold meeting

TOKYO, Japan - Main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) leader Naoto Kan (standing) speaks during a meeting of lawmakers from the DPJ and former Liberal Party in Tokyo on Sept. 25, one day after the two parties signed a merger deal to create an opposition party large enough to pose a challenge to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

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Lower house passes war-contingency bills

TOKYO, Japan - Members of the House of Representatives stand up at a plenary session in the Diet on May 15 to approve a set of three bills designed to give the government more powers to respond to a military attack or threat of an attack on Japan. The ruling coalition -- the Liberal Democratic Party, the New Komeito party and the New Conservative Party -- and two opposition parties -- the Democratic Party of Japan and the Liberal Party -- supported the bills.

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U.N. chief Annan meets with Japan's ruling coalition leaders

NEW YORK, United States - U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan (L) shakes hands with Toshiro Nikai, secretary general of the New Conservative Party in Japan's ruling coalition, at the U.N. headquarters in New York on April 30. Looking on are the secretaries general of the other two coalition parties -- Taku Yamasaki of the Liberal Democratic Party (3rd from R) and Tetsuzo Fuyushiba of the New Komeito party (2nd from R).

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Ruling parties ram 2nd extra budget through lower house

TOKYO, Japan - Ruling coalition lawmakers stand to indicate their approval of a 2.5 trillion yen extra budget for fiscal 2001 in the House of Representatives on the night of Jan. 29. Opposition members boycotted the session over a dispute involving the Foreign Ministry's decision to bar two Japanese nongovernmental organizations from a recent aid conference.

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Ruling parties ram 2nd extra budget through Diet panel

TOKYO, Japan - Ruling coalition lawmakers stand to indicate their approval of a 2.5 trillion yen extra budget on the night of Jan. 28 in the House of Representatives Budget Committee. They ignored a boycott of the session by opposition legislators over inconsistencies in testimonies by Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka and top Foreign Ministry bureaucrats regarding whether political pressure led to the exclusion of two Japanese nongovernmental organizations from last week's Afghan donor conference in Tokyo.

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Upper house panel passes SDF bill for U.S.-led operations

TOKYO, Japan - Lawmakers from the ruling coalition parties raise their hands at meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of the House of Councillors at the Diet in Tokyo on Oct. 26 to approve a bill allowing Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to lend noncombat support to the U.S.-led antiterrorism campaign. The bill and two additional bills are expected to pass the upper house's plenary session on Oct. 29.

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Ruling parties propose economic and employment measures

TOKYO, Japan - Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) policy chief Taro Aso (R) hands Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi a report compiled by the LDP and its two ruling coalition partners proposing comprehensive economic and employment measures, at the premier's official residence Sept. 7. Policy chiefs from the New Komeito party and the New Conservative Party -- Kazuo Kitagawa (2nd from L) and Kiichi Inoue (L) -- were also present for the handover.

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Incumbent Akita Gov. Terata reelected to 2nd term

AKITA, Japan - Incumbent Gov. Sukeshiro Terata, running as an independent in the Akita gubernatorial election, celebrates with supporters April 15 after easily winning reelection in the race by beating two challengers. Terata dealt a stunning blow to the ruling coalition before July's House of Councillors election by beating Kaneyuki Muraoka, a former head of Japan Junior Chamber Inc. and backed by the three coalition parties.

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Upper house chief Saito says he may quit over Diet impasse

TOKYO, Japan - House of Concillors President Juro Saito (C) leaves the Diet Oct. 17 after ruling and opposition parties failed to reach a compromise on a bill to revise the electoral system for the upper house. Saito, who proposed an arbitration plan Oct. 16, said he will quit if the two sides cannot agree. The opposition has been boycotting almost all Diet business for two weeks, claiming the bill would make campaigning more expensive.

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Diet turmoil continues as talks for compromise fail

TOKYO, Japan - Japan's ruling (R) and opposition parties (L) fail to reach a compromise Oct. 17 on a bill to revise the House of Councillors electoral system that would end the opposition's two-week-old boycott of the Diet in protest against the bill. The two camps failed to bridge their differences in a meeting presided over by Vice President Hisamitsu Sugano (C).

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Upper house chief proposes compromise to end Diet impasse

TOKYO, Japan - House of Councillors President Juro Saito (C) on Oct. 16 proposes a compromise on a bill to revise the upper house electoral system in an effort to end the opposition's two-week-old boycott of the Diet in protest against the bill. Saito presented the compromise plan in a meeting with upper house representatives of the ruling and opposition parties, which was held in the Diet building.

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LDP's Nonaka shakes hands with Chinese Premier Zhu

BEIJING, China - Japan's Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Hiromu Nonaka (L) shakes hands with Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji before talks in Beijing on Oct. 8. Zhu met with Nonaka and the secretaries general of Japan's two other ruling parties -- the New Komeito party and the New Conservative Party. Zhu will visit Japan on Oct. 12-17.

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China's Jiang urges Japan to face up to history

BEIJING, China - Chinese President Jiang Zemin (R) meets the secretaries general of Japan's three ruling coalition parties --Hiromu Nonaka of the Liberal Democratic Party (2nd from R), Tetsuzo Fuyushiba of the New Komeito party (3rd from R) and Takeshi Noda of the New Conservative Party (L) at the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in Beijing on May 30. Jiang told them that the two countries should live in harmony over future generations, overcoming differences in their perceptions of World War II during which they were enemies.

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China Premier Zhu meets with Japanese ruling parties' bosses

BEIJING, China - Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji (C) shakes hands with Takeshi Noda (far L), secretary general of Japan's New Conservative Party, in Beijing on May 29. Noda, Tetsuzo Fuyushiba (2nd from L) and Hiromu Nonaka (far R), the secretaries general of Japan's three ruling coalition parties, arrived in Beijing earlier in the day for a two-day visit to meet with President Jiang Zemin and Premier Zhu.

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LDP, New Komeito ram seat-reduction bill through committee

TOKYO, Japan - Shin Sakurai (C with microphone), chairman of the House of Representatives Special Committee on Political Ethics and Election Law, is surrounded by opposition and ruling lawmakers on Dec. 14 after the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito party, two of the three ruling parties, railroaded a bill on cutting the number of lower house seats through the committee.

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Murayama meets head of N. Korea's supreme people's assembly

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama (R) shakes hands with Kim Yong Nam, president of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea, in Pyongyang on Dec. 3. Murayama is leading a delegation of Japanese lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties on a three-day visit to North Korea. The Workers Party of (North) Korea agreed Dec. 2 to the delegation's proposal that the governments of the two countries resume dialogue on normalizing ties by the end of this year.

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Murayama hands letter from Obuchi

PYONGYANG, North Korea - Former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama (R) hands a letter from Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, to Kim Yong Sun (L), secretary of the Workers Party of Korea's central committee secretariat, in Pyongyang on Dec. 2. Murayama is the leader of a mission consisting of lawmakers of both ruling and opposition parties. The delegation hopes the two countries will draw up a document calling for them to resume dialogue.

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LDP secretary general speaks on electorial system

TOKYO, Japan - The secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) suggests it may merge with the Liberal Party (LP) if Japan retains its small-constituency electoral system. ''A shift to a system of two main political parties is inevitable as long as the small electoral district system is maintained,'' Yoshiro Mori told a training session for LDP members from across Japan on July 17 at a Tokyo hotel.

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Political parties start campaigns for commune elections in Cambodia

STORY: Political parties start campaigns for commune elections in Cambodia DATELINE: May 21, 2022 LENGTH: 00:04:33 LOCATION: Phnom Penh CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of ruling Cambodian People's Party's electoral campaign in Phnom Penh 2. various of opposition Candlelight Party's electoral campaign in Phnom Penh STORYLINE: Political parties in Cambodia began a two-week campaign on Saturday for the fifth commune elections, which will be held on June 5, a National Election Committee (NEC) official said. Seventeen political parties have contested in the upcoming elections, with the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and the opposition Candlelight Party being the major contestants. The campaign started from May 21 to June 3 on a daily basis from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time, NEC member Em Sophat said, adding that it is a series of actions that will persuade voters to cast their ballots for a candidate or a political party. "During the campaign, political party supporters can hold public r