ISTANBUL

Acknowledging “harsh judgement for the ruling parties” after Sunday's elections, Japan’s Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi Tuesday urged against “political deadlock” amid “complex” security around the country.

“The security environment surrounding our country is very challenging and more complex than ever. There are also numerous challenges in diplomatic affairs as well,” Takeshi told a news conference in Tokyo.

Takeshi’s comments came in the wake of Sunday’s electoral losses in the Upper House of the parliament by the Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba-led Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito coalition, triggering calls on the chief executive to step down.

Earlier, the coalition had lost general elections last year, and Ishiba has since been leading a minority government.

“For diplomacy, stability and continuity are a must,” stressed Foreign Minister Takeshi, referring to “numerous challenges in and outside of Japan.”

“The situation is so challenging that even the ruling parties alone will not be able to address (it) and bringing all the opposition parties together will be difficult; therefore, since we are facing such a challenging situation, we must collaborate across the party lines to address the challenging times in a united manner for the interest of Japanese people,” he said.

The losses by LDP-Komeito come at a time when Japan is engaged in trade talks with the US, which has imposed unilateral tariffs on the world’s fifth-largest economy, affecting its exports.

But Takeshi said Japan is "committed" to achieving an agreement that is beneficial for both Japan and the United States.

“This is indeed a national crisis, but in order to overcome the situation, the entire government is supporting the negotiations,” he said, calling for “good and deep discussions” on the voices expressed by local organizations and lawmakers.

“In the meantime, what is extremely important is for us to prevent the political deadlock at this juncture.”