New Komeito and its main base of support, Soka Gakkai, Japan's largest lay Buddhist organization, said the party will more aggressively push its agenda in the ruling coalition in response to supporters' growing dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's administration.
Senior officials from the two organizations met in Tokyo earlier this week to discuss Mori's declining popularity in the wake of his remarks about Japanese believed abducted by North Korean agents and the resignation of his top aide, former Chief Cabinet Secretary Hidenao Nakagawa, over scandals.
Isao Nozaki, Soka Gakkai's vice president in charge of politics, told New Komeito officials that the group "feels somewhat frustrated" about the party's performance in the coalition, according to the officials.