Snap Parliamentary Elections in Japan

On October 27, parliamentary elections were held in Japan. According to the results, the ruling coalition led by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will lose its majority for the first time in many years, reports the NHK television channel.

The official vote tally has not yet concluded, but NHK estimates that the Liberal Democrats and their coalition partner, the Komeito party, will secure between 185 and 232 mandates. A total of 233 seats are required for a majority.

Based on the election results, the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party could significantly improve its standing, potentially winning up to 191 mandates. As noted by the BBC, the poor performance of the Liberal Democrats does not mean they will become the opposition; besides Komeito, the party might form a coalition with other partners.

The recent elections were snap elections initiated by the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Shigeru Ishiba, immediately after he became the new party leader and assumed the prime ministerial office, succeeding Fumio Kishida. Ishiba views these elections as a public mandate for his premiership.

The Liberal Democratic Party has been in power nearly continuously since its establishment in 1955, usually as part of a coalition. The party was in the opposition only for a few years, from 1993 to 1994 and from 2006 to 2009. The ruling coalition of the Liberal Democrats and Komeito has been in existence since 2009.