1.The coalition led by Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has lost its majority in parliament, its worst result in over a decade. The LDP and its much smaller coalition partner Komeito, have taken 215 seats together, falling short of the 233-seat majority needed to govern.
2.The party’s new leader Shigeru Ishiba said there are no plans to expand the coalition at this stage. Ishiba, who called the election just days before he was sworn in as prime minister, has vowed to stay in office despite the LDP’s loss of parliamentary majority.
3.In a speech on Monday, he said the party has received “severe judgement”, adding they would “humbly” accept this. “Voters have handed us a harsh verdict and we have to humbly accept this result,” Ishiba told national broadcaster NHK.
4. “The Japanese people expressed their strong desire for the LDP to do some reflection and become a party that acts in line with the people’s will,” he said. Ahead of the election, Japanese media had reported that if the LDP loses its parliamentary majority, Ishiba could quit to take responsibility, which would make him Japan’s shortest-serving prime minister in the post-war period.
5. This is the first time the LDP has lost its parliamentary majority since 2009. Since its founding in 1955, the party has ruled the country almost continuously. The result comes after a tumultuous few years for the LDP which saw a “cascade” of scandals, widespread voter apathy and record-low approval ratings.
6. The party had seen approval ratings of below 20% earlier in the year, in the wake of a political fundraising corruption scandal. Ishiba on Monday pledged to reform “enact fundamental reform regarding the issue of money and politics”.
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7. “We need to answer to the people’s criticism. That is how I will take responsibility for the loss of the election,” he said. He also promised to revitalise rural Japan and tackle inflation.
8. Meanwhile, largest opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), won 148 seats at around 02:00 JST (17:00 GMT), according to NHK. Yet opposition parties have failed to unite, or convince voters they are a viable option to govern.
9. The CDP, which is the main opposition party, had an approval rating of just 6.6% before parliament was dissolved. CDP leader Yoshihiko Noda on Monday said he plans to work with other parties to oust the incumbents.
