Ruling LDP loses majority in parliament in Japan

In Japan, the coalition led by Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has lost majority in parliament. According to provisional election results, Opposition parties secured more than half the seats in the lower house. With results of 22 seats yet to be declared, the LDP and its coalition partner – Komeito have bagged 208 seats as against Opposition’s 235. The largest opposition party – the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) has won 143 seats so



far. 

A party needs a majority of 233 seats in the lower house of Parliament, the Diet, to govern alone. The result of the general election has triggered uncertainty about how the world’s fourth-largest economy will be governed. The election was called by the LDP’s new leader and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba after his predecessor Fumio Kishida made a surprise decision to step down in August.