Komeito Leader Yamaguchi to Visit China in Autumn

July 8, 2018

Tokyo- Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi said Saturday he plans to visit China in autumn, to mark the 40th year since Japan and China concluded their peace and friendship treaty.

"For the start of a new chapter in Japan-China relations, I hope to visit (China) as the party's leader," Yamaguchi told a meeting of the party's prefectural representatives.

Yamaguchi is expected to hold meetings with senior officials of the Communist Party of China and others. Komeito is the Liberal Democratic Party's partner in the ruling coalition.

He also called for accelerating preparations for unified local elections and a House of Councillors poll next year.

Within Komeito, a sense of crisis is growing as the party failed to win 7 million votes under the proportional representation system in last year's House of Representatives election for the first time in any national election since 2000. Jiji Press