New Komeito, finding itself outside the power loop for the first time in a decade, must find a way to stand on its own feet and establish a distinct brand instead of trying to latch onto other parties, its newly appointed leader says.
"New Komeito's achievements and policies got buried in the big wave of the 'change in government power' " that catapulted the Democratic Party of Japan into control of the government, Natsuo Yamaguchi said in a recent interview with The Japan Times.
"A key goal for New Komeito is to find a way to demonstrate our fundamental nature, our characteristic."