In a last-minute compromise, New Komeito said Thursday it would support former U.N. Undersecretary General Yasushi Akashi, who is being fielded by the Liberal Democratic Party, for the Tokyo gubernatorial election -- but just "at the local level."
New Komeito Secretary General Tetsuzo Fuyushiba said the party's Tokyo chapter will recommend Akashi, although it does not mean the party fully backs him. New Komeito is believed to have made the decision because the party, the second-largest opposition force in national politics, has been torn between two conflicting interests. While its Tokyo chapter hopes to maintain its longtime bonds with the LDP in the metropolitan assembly, the party needs to take an anti-LDP posture in other local polls slated this month.
The Tokyo chapter, meanwhile, was unable to reach a decision about whom to support until Wednesday night since some members insisted on Kunio Hatoyama, who is backed by the Democratic Party of Japan, according to Tokyo chapter executives.