TOKYO, July 21. /TASS/. The ruling coalition in Japan, consisting of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Komeito Party, lost the majority of seats in the upper house of parliament after elections on Sunday, data of regional and regional election commissions show.
This is the second consecutive defeat for the ruling bloc led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Last fall, he lost his majority in the key lower house of parliament, but thanks to disagreements in the opposition camp, he was able to form a minority government and remain in power. The LDP and Komeito, which needed 51 seats to maintain their majority in the House of Councilors, were able to secure only 47 of the mandates at stake - as a result of these elections, the ruling bloc immediately lost 28 seats in the upper house. Thus, the coalition led by the prime minister now has only 122 seats in the upper house of parliament, which has 248 seats.
The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party, led by former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, won 22 seats in the last election, bringing the total number of seats to 38. The most impressive result was demonstrated by nationalist Party of Participation in Politics, which immediately won 14 new seats in parliament (previously it had only one). The People's Democratic Party has also significantly improved its position, gaining 17 new seats and bringing the total number of its mandates to 22. In general, almost all parties, except the LDP and Komeito, have consolidated their positions in the upper house. Thus, the ruling coalition now has 122 seats in the upper house of parliament, while all opposition parties have 126. At the same time, some opposition parties have demonstrated their willingness to cooperate with the ruling bloc in promoting some legislative initiatives.
Ishiba acknowledged that the ruling bloc had learned a serious lesson in the elections, from which it was necessary to draw conclusions. The prime minister did not give a direct answer to the question of whether he was going to take responsibility for the failure and resign, vaguely stating that he and his party needed to fulfill their promises to the voters. On Monday, Ishiba is scheduled to give a press conference, where he is to give more detailed comments. Noda believes that if Ishiba decides to remain as prime minister, he should explain his decision. The voters said a firm "no" to the prime minister and his policies, Noda is convinced. One of the main arguments of the supporters of the ruling party in favor of the fact that Ishiba should not resign now is the ongoing negotiations with the administration of US President Donald Trump on tariffs and duties. Ishiba's supporters are confident that a change of prime minister at such a moment will hit Japan's position in these negotiations.
There are 248 seats in the upper house of the Japanese parliament. The term of office of a deputy is six years, but elections are held every three years, and only half of the members are elected. Now, the voters have decided the fate of 124 parliamentary seats and one vacant one. A total of 125 deputies were elected: 75 from single-mandate constituencies, 50 from party lists.