key takeaways
- Coalition talks between Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader Takaichi Sanae and Kōmeitō have become tense, not only delaying the start of a Diet session to elect a new prime minister but raising the prospect that the ruling coalition could break.
- The LDP and Kōmeitō have weathered many challenges over their quarter-century-old partnership but the relationship has been tested by Kōmeitō’s declining electoral strength and friction over policies and the LDP’s scandals, culminating in a threat by Kōmeitō to abandon a Takaichi-led LDP.
- Even if the coalition holds, the contentious negotiations reveal the fragility of Takaichi’s position.