Upper House Election: Japan Ruling Bloc Loses Majority in Upper House; Ishiba Vows to Remain Prime Minister

Yomiuri Shimbun

2 days ago

The Liberal Democratic Party and its ruling coalition partner Komeito lost their majority in the House of Councillors after winning only 47 seats in Sunday's election, falling short of the 50 seats that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba had set as a 'must-win target.'
This is the first time since the party was founded that an LDP-led government has lost its majority in both houses of the Diet.
Ishiba, who is president of the LDP, has said that he will stay on as prime minister. However, he will likely struggle to steer the government, as some within the LDP will hold Ishiba responsible for the election result.
The LDP won 39 seats — the third lowest number in its history — in Sunday's election, while Komeito won a record-low eight, significantly down from the combined 66 seats that were on the line. The ruling bloc therefore failed to maintain a majority of 125 seats in the 248-seat chamber, including the 75 seats that were not contested in the latest election.
'We must humbly and sincerely accept this difficult situation,' Ishiba said Sunday night on an NHK program. 'We must fully recognize our responsibility as the largest party.'
When asked on a TBS program if he would continue as prime minister, Ishiba said he would. 'We must always consider how to avoid creating a political vacuum and minimize confusion,' he said.
Among the 32 decisive constituencies where only one seat was up for grabs, the LDP managed to win in 14, including its conservative strongholds of Tochigi, Gunma, Fukui, Yamaguchi and Kumamoto. In contrast, opposition parties won in Iwate, Akita, Nagano, Kagawa and Ehime, showing their strength in the Tohoku and Shikoku regions.
The LDP, Komeito, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Democratic Party for the People and Sanseito engaged in fierce battles in the 13 constituencies where more than one seat was contested. Komeito fielded seven candidates in these constituencies and lost its seats in Saitama and Aichi.
The CDPJ kept all of its 22 seats that were contested in this election, having pledged a consumption tax cut and harshly criticized the government.
CDPJ leader Yoshihiko Noda said on an NHK program Sunday, 'The people have expressed their opposition to the Ishiba administration.'
On a Fuji TV program, Noda said it was 'within the realm of possibility' that he would submit a motion of no confidence against the Ishiba Cabinet.
The DPFP won 17 seats on Sunday, among them seats in 10 constituencies including Saitama and Aichi. The Japan Innovation Party won seven seats that were up for grabs. Sanseito made a significant breakthrough by increasing its upper house seats to 15, including a seat that was not up for grabs in this election. In the proportional representation segment, the CDPJ, the DPFP and Sanseito each secured seven seats.
The Japanese Communist Party won three seats that it competed for in Sunday's race, and Reiwa Shinsengumi also won three. The Conservative Party of Japan secured two seats, marking its first-ever presence in the upper house. The Social Democratic Party and Team Mirai each won one seat on Sunday.
The ruling bloc proposed the provision of ¥20,000 per person — with an additional ¥20,000 for children and adults in households exempt from resident tax — as a measure to combat rising prices. The opposition parties unanimously called for a consumption tax cut.
The ruling bloc's measure failed to gain public support, and the stalled Japan-U.S. negotiations over tariffs imposed by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump also posed a strong headwind for the ruling parties.
The upper house has 248 seats, with half up for grabs every three years. This time, 125 seats were contested: 74 in constituencies, 50 in proportional representation and one vacant seat in the Tokyo Constituency. A total of 522 candidates ran in the election.