Komeito (Former)
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The Komeito' (公明党), also known as Clean Government Party or CGP, was a political party in Japan. It was left-wing, though it was more to the center, and was generally classified as a socialist party.
[edit] History
Komeito was formed in 1964 from a minor political party, the Clean Government Political Assembly. At this time, the political party was heavily affiliated with Soka Gakkai, a major Buddhist organization in Japan. It was usually supportive of the Japan Socialist Party, and was against the Liberal Democratic Party, the major ruling party at that time.
Usually seen as a radical party by opponents, it failed to win many seats at the elections, and in 1971, Komeito's leaders officially separated itself from Soka Gakkai, though it and its anticendents to this day still have a strong unofficial position with the religion.
Komeito did quite well, and in 1993, when the LDP was for the first time declared an opposition party, the Komeito became one of the ruling parties, headed by the liberal Japan Renewal Party, but which also included the Japanese Communist Party, Japan New Party, the New Party Sakigake, and the Japan Socialist Party. Eventually, the latter two parties left the coalition and joined the LDP in an opposition coalition. In 1994, however, when the Japan Socialist Party won the elections, of which the LDP was a junior coalition partner of, the Komeito was again thrown into opposition.
They failed to win seats at the various elections, and, in 1998, the party decided to embark on a more conservative agenda, wanting to make itself a right-wing party. So that year, it merged with the extreme conservative New Peace Party and became known as the New Komeito, a party which supported the ruling party, the Liberal Democrats.
