Komeito leader Keiichi Ishii announces resignation after party lost seats

Keiichi Ishii, the leader of Komeito, the junior coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said Thursday that he will resign to take responsibility for his party’s loss of seats, including his own, in Sunday’s election for the House of Representatives.
Komeito decided to unofficially appoint his successor at an executive meeting set for Nov. 7 and elect the successor at an extraordinary party convention on Nov. 9.
“It was a very tough election result for our party. It is all my responsibility,” Ishii said at a party executive meeting Thursday, explaining that he will resign as he believes a parliamentary member should head Komeito.
According to Ishii, Makoto Nishida, secretary-general of Komeito, also tendered his resignation, but decided to remain in office at the request of the outgoing leader.
Ishii only became the party’s leader on Sept. 28. He lost in the Saitama No. 14 district in Sunday’s Lower House election. He will have been in office as Komeito leader for just over a month, the shortest tenure since the party was re-established in 1998.
Komeito’s strength in the Lower House dropped to 24 seats from its preelection count of 32 seats. With the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election and the election for the House of Councilors coming up next summer, it is an urgent matter for the party to rebuild its organization.