Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, led by new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, is expected to suffer a crushing defeat in elections for the powerful lower house of parliament. Japanese media unanimously reported based on post-poll voter surveys that the Liberal Democratic Party, shaken by a party donation scandal, had lost its previous sole majority.
Shigeru Ishiba succeeded Fumio Kishida as leader of the Liberal Democratic Party. Image: trapezoid
It is predicted that the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, led by the largest opposition party and former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, will make significant progress.
Despite the heavy losses, there was initial uncertainty over whether the LDP and its smaller coalition partner Komeito could regain a majority in the House of Representatives. Late at night, Prime Minister Ishiba spoke on television about the harsh verdict of voters. The vote must be accepted with humility. Ishiba said he hopes to cooperate with the opposition on political issues if necessary.
The opposition conservative People's Democratic Party had been considered a possible third coalition partner but ruled out joining an FDP-led government on election night.
The 67-year-old Ishiba took over from Fumio Kishida on October 1. Pre-election polls have suggested that the Coalition may struggle to secure the 233 seats needed for a majority in the House of Commons. The FDP has ruled the country, which is part of the same Group of Seven countries as Germany, for decades almost continuously.
New party and government leader Ishiba expressed his hope to continue working in politics. The political veteran has begun work on renewing his party, which has been rocked by scandal. Just eight days after taking office, Ishiba dissolved the House of Representatives in hopes of gaining a mandate from voters in new elections on Sunday.
The Liberal Democratic Party has not accepted some of its members implicated in the scandal as official candidates for the election. It is predicted that some of them will lose their seats. Those who deny LDP support have close ties to assassinated Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who continued to exert significant influence over the LDP after resigning as leader in 2020. The Liberal Democrats have not ruled out accepting those who win seats back into its ranks.
Faced with China's lust for power in the region and the threat posed by North Korea's missile and nuclear programs, Ishiba wants to bolster Japan's defenses and bolster the economy of Japan's rural areas, which are suffering from the effects of aging. He also promised voters that he would mitigate the negative effects of inflation. But the party donations scandal dealt a heavy blow to his party. (DAB/Sudan Development Authority/Department of Political Affairs)
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