Do we like Tetsuo Saito?
Our score: 6 out of 10. A clean record on the evidence found and a principled stand on political money, but little of his own on LGBTQ+ rights, so we can't go higher.
Tetsuo Saito is the veteran Komeito politician who led the party from late 2024 and, in January 2026, became co-leader of the new Centrist Reform Alliance. Komeito has been a pillar of Japanese politics for decades, and it was founded in 1964 by the leader of the Buddhist sect Soka Gakkai, Daisaku Ikeda, to fight corruption. That history matters, because his biggest moment was a fight over exactly that.
In October 2025 Saito announced Komeito was leaving its 26-year coalition with the LDP, then led by Sanae Takaichi. He said the LDP's reply on political funding was “highly insufficient and extremely disappointing”, and that tackling money politics was the party's top priority. Walking out of government over a principle, at a cost to his own party, is the kind of thing that counts on the good-person ledger.
The harm check is the thin part. Saito also said Komeito had concerns about Takaichi's views on wartime history, her Yasukuni Shrine visits and her hardline stance toward foreigners, though he found her answers on those points acceptable. He backed in principle Japan recognising a Palestinian state and called for an immediate end to the Gaza war. We found no harmful words of his own on LGBTQ+ people, women, migrants or the planet.
The last year was a rough ride. In January 2026 he and Yoshihiko Noda launched the Centrist Reform Alliance, with Saito promising policies that put consumers first. After the party was crushed at the 8 February election, both co-leaders resigned the next day, and Komeito later chose Toshiko Takeya as its new leader. Nothing new on him lately beyond that.
So: a steady, moderate operator with no scandal on the file and one genuinely principled stand. The gap is that his own record on LGBTQ+ issues is thin, which is why this is a cautious yes and not a gushing one.