Japan's Komeito endorses land minister Saito as new leader

TOKYO -- Japan's Komeito Party, the coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), held an extraordinary convention on Saturday to formally endorse land minister Tetsuo Saito as its new leader.

Saito, 72, takes over from Keiichi Ishii, who resigned following the party's loss of seats in the recent House of Representatives election, where he also lost his own seat.

In his inaugural speech, Saito emphasized Komeito's unique strength in bridging national and local governance, aiming to regain public trust and restore momentum with a united front.

The ruling coalition of LDP led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Komeito lost the long-held majority in the general election last month.

Ishiba, set to be reelected as prime minister during a special parliamentary session next week, reaffirmed with Saito about their parties' cooperation in a meeting on Saturday.