Tokyo – Japan’s political landscape was thrown into chaos on friday after the Komeito party announced its withdrawal from the ruling coalition, ending a partnership with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) that has spanned over 25 years. The move deals a significant blow to new LDP leader Sanae Takaichi and her bid to become the nation's first female prime minister.

Komeito’s leader, Tetsuo Saito, announced the decision citing the LDP's failure to adequately address persistent political funding scandals. In a statement, Saito expressed deep dissatisfaction with what he described as an "inadequate response" from the LDP to issues of corruption and slush funds. He specifically criticized a perceived lack of sincerity from Takaichi on tackling restrictions on corporate and organizational donations.

The split leaves the LDP without a majority in either house of Japan’s parliament, creating a major political crisis just one week after Takaichi was elected as the party's new leader on october 3. Without Komeito’s support, Takaichi’s path to the premiership is now uncertain, and the LDP may be forced to seek a new, and likely less stable, coalition partner to form a government.

This political upheaval follows a period of waning public support for the ruling bloc. In the House of Councillors election on july 20, the LDP-Komeito coalition had already lost its majority, with the LDP’s national vote share plummeting to 21.6%, the lowest in the party's history. The election saw gains by opposition parties, reflecting widespread public dissatisfaction with rising living costs and the very political scandals that have now fractured the coalition.

Sanae Takaichi, a staunch conservative and a close ally of former prime minister Shinzo Abe, won the LDP leadership on a platform of strong economic and national security policies. She has advocated for aligning the Bank of Japan's monetary policy with government objectives, cautioning against premature interest rate hikes. She also planned to introduce economic relief measures, including gasoline tax cuts and a supplementary budget, to address the rising cost of living.

However, with her government’s stability now in question before it has even been formed, Takaichi faces the immediate and daunting challenge of navigating a fractured parliament and attempting to build a new majority to govern a nation facing significant economic and political headwinds.