Japan’s Komeito party has chosen Mitsunari Okamoto as its new leader, ahead of an extraordinary Diet session scheduled for next week. The decision was confirmed at the party’s convention on Saturday.

Okamoto, 61, currently serves as a member of the House of Representatives. He succeeds Toshiko Takeya, a senator who took over party leadership in January. Takeya’s tenure followed significant shifts within Komeito’s ranks, including the defection of its lower house lawmakers to join the opposition Centrist Reform Alliance earlier this year. That alliance subsequently fragmented in September.

Komeito, historically a junior partner in Japan’s coalition governments, appears to be positioning itself for upcoming parliamentary developments with Okamoto at the helm. The leadership change comes amid a period of organizational adjustment as the party navigates evolving political realignments within Japan’s legislature.