New Komeito Party

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公明党
Kōmeitō
New Komeito Party
President Akihiro Ota
Secretary General Kazuo Kitagawa
Councilors Leader
Representatives Leader
Founded 1998
Headquarters 17 Minamimoto-machi
Shinjuku-ku
Tokyo 160-0012
Political ideology Buddhist-influenced centrism
conservatism
social conservatism
International affiliation None
Color(s) Blue (informally)
Number of Councilors 20
Number of Representatives 34
Website New Komeito

The New Komeito (公明党 Kōmeitō?), New Komeito Party , or NKP is a political party in Japan founded by members of the Buddhist organization Soka Gakkai. (New Komeito's view on politics and religion). It considers itself Japan's answer to Germany's CDU.[citation needed] The present New Komeito was formed as a result of a merger between the Komeito (Former) and the New Peace Party on November 7, 1998.

The Party's declared mission is to pioneer "people-centered politics, a politics based on a humanitarianism that treats human life with the utmost respect and care" (New Komeito, 2002). Domestically, the party proposals include reduction of the central government and bureaucracy, increased transparency in public affairs, and increased local (prefectural) autonomy with the private sector playing an increased role. With regard to foreign policy, the Party wishes to eliminate nuclear arms and armed conflict in general. In so doing, the party hopes to bring about the "dawn of a new civilization of mankind" (Ibid).

The New Komeito Party had a predecessor with a similar (though more to the left and very radical) ideology, but the current conservative, more moderate, party was formed in 1998, as noted, between a merger of the Clean Government Party and the New Peace Party. It supported the ruling Liberal Democrats and did well in the 2000 and 2001 parliamentary elections.

In the 2003 and 2004 Diet elections, the New Komeito Party did well, thanks to an extremely committed and well-organised huge voter base coming from Soka Gakkai. As the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's junior coalition partner, it is becoming a major political force in modern Japan.

Currently, the party is in a majority coalition government with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

The party shares its support base with the LDP, made up of white collar bureaucrats and rural populations, but also gains support from religious leaders.

However, July 27, 2005, New Komeito's secretary general said that his party would consider forming a coalition government with the Democratic Party of Japan if, in a snap election, the DPJ took a majority in the House of Representatives. [1] On August 8, 2005, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi dissolved the Lower House and called for a general election due to the rejection of efforts to privatize Japan Post, but the opportunity for a New Komeito-Democratic coalition did not arise as the Liberal Democratic Party won an immense majority in the general election.

Komeito lost three of its seats up for election in the 2007 upper house parliamentary election and is now part of the minority coalition in that chamber.

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