Japan's junior coalition party Komeito says it will not cooperate with the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party in elections in Tokyo in the near future.
Komeito's move comes amid a rift between the two ruling coalition parties over the junior partner's plan to field a candidate in one of five new single-seat districts to be added in Tokyo from the next Lower House election.
Komeito on Thursday informed the LDP of its decision to drop its plan to run its own candidate in Tokyo's No.28 constituency in the next election of the chamber after the LDP refused to accept the plan.
Some of the LDP's Tokyo chapter members also made clear they will not cooperate with Komeito in the No.29 district, where a Komeito incumbent is set to run.
Earlier in the day, Komeito decided at a meeting of executive members that it will not seek the LDP's support for the candidate in the constituency.
Komeito also decided not to support LDP candidates in other single-seat districts in Tokyo.
The executives say they plan not to cooperate with the Liberal Democrats in other elections in Tokyo, including 2025 polls for the Tokyo metropolitan assembly.
They also plan to dissolve the two parties' cooperative ties in the assembly.
Komeito Secretary-General Ishii Keiichi met his LDP counterpart Motegi Toshimitsu on Thursday to convey the decisions.
Ishii told Motegi that the relationship of trust between Komeito and the LDP in Tokyo has been lost during the talks on the issue so far.
He added that Komeito's latest decisions apply only to Tokyo and will not affect other regions, and that his party does not intend to change the coalition framework in national politics.
Motegi responded that he will take the issue back to the LDP to study it.
They agreed to meet again next week to discuss the matter.