Japan’s ruling coalition loses majority in upper house in blow to Ishiba

ISTANBUL

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba vowed to remain in his position despite the ruling coalition led by his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) losing its majority in the upper house of parliament in one of the most turbulent elections in Japan’s recent history, local media reported.

The coalition of the LDP and Komeito won 47 of the 125 seats contested, short of the 50 needed to retain a majority, according to media reports from NHK and the Mainichi Shimbun.

Earlier projections showed that the coalition was unlikely to retain its majority in the crucial elections, with the ruling bloc and opposition locked in a neck-and-neck contest to secure the 125 seats in the 248-member House of Councilors.

Nationwide voter turnout stood at an estimated 58.52% as of 4 am Monday, Japan Today reported, higher than the 52.05% seen in the previous upper house election in 2022.

According to the media reports, the LDP is still the single largest party in the upper house with 39 seats, and the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) is poised to become the second largest party with a total of 22 seats.

Ishiba vows to carry on

Ishiba said he is determined to remain in office despite the blow to his party.

"We must humbly and sincerely accept the harsh situation," he told a news conference, NHK reported.

Asked if he intends to remain as prime minister and ruling party leader, he said: "That's right."

"We are engaged in extremely critical tariff negotiations with the US...We must never derail these negotiations," he added, referring to efforts to beat an Aug. 1 deadline for higher US tariffs.

He said the LDP is still the largest party in parliament by any measure and thus has a major responsibility to deliver results.

The Sanseito party, which is likely to gain several seats in the election, may link up with the LDP "depending on policy coordination," said party leader Sohei Kamiya, according to Kyodo News.

The party was launched in 2020 and has focused on its "Japanese First" slogan.

Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP), denied that his party is in any “grand coalition” with the LDP, Kyodo reported.

If Ishiba continues as premier, the CPD is reportedly considering a vote of no confidence against him.

No other opposition party has indicated that they will support Ishiba in the upper house.

Millions of voters headed to nearly 45,000 polling stations nationwide to elect 125 lawmakers for the upper house of parliament in a crucial test for the Ishiba-led ruling coalition, which already lost its majority in the lower house last year.

The last time the LDP lost its majority in the upper house was in 2007.

The upper house has 248 members serving six-year terms, with elections every three years to fill half of the seats. This year, voters elected the usual 124 members, with an additional seat left vacant.

*Aamir Latif from Pakistan contributed to this report.