Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's ruling coalition is certain to lose a majority in the key parliamentary election on Sunday.
According to Japan's NHK public television, Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party and its ruling coalition with Komeito were certain to lose a majority of 233 seats in the lower house. The lower house (with 465 seats) is the more powerful compared to Japan's two-chamber parliament.
Reportedly, the extensive financial scandals affected the results.
By losing a majority, it would be difficult for Ishiba to get his party's policies through parliament.
Here is a clip of me appearing on BBC World News to talk about Japan's election. It's from earlier tonight, but we are still in the same situation now, waiting to see if the LDP-Komeito coalition actually loses its parliamentary majority. https://t.co/KGcz6weoOm pic.twitter.com/0IonmvRq36
— Jeffrey J. Hall 🇯🇵🇺🇸 (@mrjeffu) October 27, 2024
After former Japanese PM Fumio Kishida stepped down, Ishiba took office on October 1. Though he hoped to garner support, he failed to address public outrage over the LDP’s actions.
“The results so far have been extremely severe, and we take them very seriously...I believe the voters are telling us to reflect more and become a party that lives up to their expectations," Ishiba told NHK.
There is also a possibility of a third coalition partner if Ishiba’s party completely loses the majority.
The LDP will still lead a ruling coalition and tackle key policies even if we lose the majority, added Ishiba.
He also indicated that the LDP is open to cooperating with opposition groups if that suits the public's expectations.
A total of 1,344 candidates, including a record 314 women, are running for office.
Earlier, the NHK exit polls indicated that the LDP was expected to win between 153 and 219 seats, down sharply from the comfortable majority of 247 it held previously. At the same time, Komeito was expected to win 21 to 35 seats.
As of early Monday, LDP won 173 seats and Komeito 22 for a total of 195 seats for the ruling coalition, while the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan secured 137 seats, NHK said.
In Tokyo, Ishiba, during his final speeches, apologised over his party’s mishandling of funds and said only the LDP's ruling coalition could responsibly run Japan with its experience and dependable policies.
The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan led by centrist leader Yoshihiko Noda, was expected to make significant gains, with exit polls suggesting a huge increase to as many as 191 seats from 98.
Potential new partners for the LDP include the Democratic Party of the People, a breakaway group from the CPDJ, which calls for lower taxes, and the conservative Japan Innovation Party.
