Shock to the new Prime Minister, Japan’s ruling party lost majority

Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)-led coalition has lost its majority in parliament, its worst result in more than a decade.

The LDP and its coalition partner, the much smaller Komeito, together have secured 215 seats, short of the 233-seat majority needed to govern.

The LDP’s new leader Shigeru Ishiba called the election just days before being sworn in as prime minister – but his party’s loss of parliamentary majority has now thrown his political future into question.

In a speech on Monday, he said the LDP had received a “serious decision”, adding that they would accept it “humbly”.

“The voters have given us a harsh verdict and we have to humbly accept this result,” Ishiba told national broadcaster NHK.

“The Japanese people expressed their strong desire for the LDP to reflect and become a party that acts in accordance with the will of the people,” he said.

Before the election, Japanese media reported that if the LDP lost its parliamentary majority, Ishiba might step down to take responsibility, making him Japan’s shortest-serving prime minister in the post-war period. Will go.

This is the first time since 2009 that the LDP has lost its parliamentary majority. Since its establishment 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.

In the wake of the political fundraising corruption scandal, the party had seen approval ratings below 20% at the beginning of the year.

Meanwhile, the 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 unify or convince voters that they are a viable option to govern.

The CDP, the main opposition party, had an approval rating of only 6.6% before the dissolution of parliament.

CDP leader Yoshihiko Noda said Monday he planned to work with other parties to oust the incumbents.

Miyuki Fujisaki, a longtime LDP supporter who works in the care-home sector, told the BBC before the election began: “It’s very difficult to make a decision about choosing parties, I think people are losing interest. “

The LDP has a problem with alleged corruption, he said, “but the opposition is also not standing at all”.

“They certainly complain a lot, but it’s not at all clear what they want to do,” the 66-year-old man said.

In the wake of the results, the benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index was up about 1.5%, while the yen fell against the US dollar.

Despite all the gloom, politics in Japan has been moving forward at a rapid pace in recent months.

Ishiba took over as prime minister after his predecessor Fumio Kishida – who had been in the role since 2021 – made the surprise decision to step down in August after the LDP voted him out.

The move to hold elections has been taken at a time when the LDP is desperate to restore its tarnished image among the public. Ishiba – a longtime politician who previously served as defense minister – called it “the people’s decision.”

A series of scandals have tarnished the party’s reputation. Chief among them is the party’s relationship with the controversial Unification Church – which critics have described as a “cult” – and its level of influence over MPs.

Then the political funding corruption scam was exposed. Japanese prosecutors are investigating dozens of LDP lawmakers accused of earning income from political fundraising events. Those allegations – running into the millions of dollars – led to the disintegration of powerful factions that were the backbone of its internal party politics.

“What a bad situation the ruling party is in,” said Michiko Hamada, who traveled to Urawa Station on the outskirts of Tokyo for an opposition campaign rally.

“That’s what I feel the most. This is tax evasion and it is inexcusable.”

This seems especially serious at a time when people in Japan are struggling with high prices. Wages have not changed for three decades – the so-called “lost 30 years” – but over the past two years prices have risen at the fastest rate in nearly half a century.

This month saw higher price rises on thousands of food products as well as other everyday provisions such as mail, pharmaceuticals, electricity and gas.

Ms. Hamada said, “I pay 10,000 yen or 20,000 yen ($65 – $130; £50 – £100) more for food per month (than before).

“And I’m not buying the things I used to buy. I’m trying to save but it still costs high. Things like fruits are very expensive.”

She is not the only one concerned about high prices.

Pensioner Chi Shimizu says she now has to work part-time to make ends meet.

“Our hourly wage has increased a bit but it doesn’t match the prices,” he told the BBC while grabbing some food from a stand at Urawa Station.

“I come to such places to find something cheap and good because everything is expensive in normal stores.”

Additional reporting by Kelly Ng