1. The Diet of Japan is set to convene an extraordinary session on October 21 to elect a new prime minister, following the withdrawal of junior coalition party Komeito from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
2. LDP leader Takaichi Sanae met with her party's Diet members to discuss the impact of Komeito's withdrawal and apologize for it, but some LDP lawmakers have suggested that if she is not expected to be elected prime minister, current LDP leader Ishiba Shigeru should remain in office.
3. Opposition parties, including the Democratic Party for the People (DPFP), the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP), and the Japan Innovation Party, are jockeying for position to fill the void left by the LDP-Komeito coalition. The DPFP is seeking cooperation from the LDP in running the Diet, while the CDP aims to unify opposition parties with a view to making DPFP President Tamaki Yuichiro prime minister. However, the DPFP and CDP have expressed differences in policy, particularly on national security, which may hinder their alliance.