New Komeito leader Takenori Kanzaki formally announced Saturday he will step down when his term as chief party representative expires Sept. 30.</PARAGRAPH> <PHOTO> <TABLE WIDTH='250' ALIGN='RIGHT' BORDER='0'> <TR> <TD><IMG ALT='News photo' BORDER='0' SRC='../images/photos2006/nn20060917a4a.jpg' WIDTH='250' HEIGHT='129'/></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><FONT SIZE='1'><B> New Komeito leader Takenori Kanzaki –

attends a meeting Saturday of the party's prefectural representatives in Tokyo, along with (from second to left) acting President Toshiko Hamayotsu, Secretary General Tetsuzo Fuyushiba and acting Secretary General Akihiro Ota. KYODO PHOTO

"An organization needs to undergo metabolic change to grow. I would like to entrust the party management to someone new," Kanzaki said during a meeting of the party's prefectural representatives.

Acting Secretary General Akihiro Ota has been unofficially chosen to replace Kanzaki. The party is scheduled to accept candidacies Sept. 26 for its leadership election, but Ota is expected to run unopposed.

"I would like to emphasize the color of New Komeito and tackle internal and external issues," Ota said.

New Komeito is the junior partner of the dominant Liberal Democratic Party in the governing coalition.

The party's key policy and action plans will be adopted at a Sept. 30 convention, according to party officials. The plans feature free preschool education and improvement in ties with China and South Korea.

In other moves, Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kazuo Kitagawa will replace Tetsuzo Fuyushiba as secretary general.