According to sources within Komeito, transport minister Tetsuo Saito will likely succeed Keiichi Ishii, 66, as party leader of the ruling junior coalition partner Komeito. Ishii will step down after losing his seat in the most recent House of Representatives election.

At an extraordinary party convention scheduled for Nov. 9, the party is expected to select Saito, 72, as Ishii’s successor.

From Hiroshima Constituency No. 11, Saito, the minister of land, infrastructure, transportation, and tourism, has been elected to the lower house eleven times. 3. He has served as secretary general of Komeito for approximately two years, beginning in September 2018, so he is well-versed in party matters.

Since October 2021, when the Cabinet of former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was formed, he has been in charge of transportation. Additionally, he serves as the party’s vice chief.

In the lower house election, Komeito put forth 11 candidates in single-seat constituencies. Seven of those candidates, including Ishii, failed to win a seat. In the end, Komeito was left with 24 seats in the lower house, eight fewer than before the election.

Komeito began the process of selecting his replacement on Thursday, following Ishii’s resignation announcement in response to the election results.

Secretary General Makoto Nishida, 62, will remain in his position under the new administration; Mitsunari Okamoto, 59, who chairs the Policy Research Committee, most likely will.