New Komeito leader Akihiro Ota and Secretary General Kazuo Kitagawa, two surprise losers in the Lower House election, refused to say Monday whether they will step down over the party's devastating 10-seat loss.
"I am painfully aware of my responsibility over the result of the election," Ota said at a news conference in the morning. "Our key goal in the meantime is to rebuild the party, and I would like to thoroughly discuss with the party's executive members whether I should resign."
New Komeito, which had 31 seats in the Lower House before it was dissolved in July, was only able to muster 21 seats Sunday through proportional representation.