Japan: Liberal Democrats Lose Majority

The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP) lost its majority in the election held on October 27. This happened for the first time in 12 years to the team leading the nation since 1955, barring three brief exceptions.

The LDP went from 247 to 191 seats, while their ally Komeito went from 32 to 24. Instead, the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) of Yoshihiko Noda, prime minister from 2021 to 2022, received the most votes, winning 148 seats; the opposition has a total of 288 seats compared to 215 for the current ruling alliance.

A notable election defeat for new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who took office after winning the party primaries and immediately called an election to try to consolidate his position.

After admitting defeat, Ishiba ruled out his resignation, explaining that he did not want to create a “political vacuum” but instead wanted to make “fundamental” political reforms for Japan.

“The most important factor is the suspicion, distrust, and anger that has not subsided over the issue of funding and politics,” Ishiba explained, referring to the scandals that engulfed his predecessor Fumio Kishida. “I want to fulfill my duty: to protect people’s lives and Japan.” But Ishiba now heads a minority government and needs to find new parliamentarians to support him in order to pass his laws. “National politics cannot remain stagnant for even a moment,” he explained. “We will continue to promote national politics all the time.”

CDP leader Yoshiniko Noda explained that “voters have chosen a party that is more capable than others to promote political reform,” explaining that he wants to try to find a coalition that will support a government alternative to the Ishiba government. Analysts, however, explain that this will not be easy, given that there are various internal divisions within the opposition.