Japan's ruling party suffers setback, losing majority under new PM
- In Reports
- 12:34 PM, Oct 28, 2024
- Myind Staff
Japan’s ruling coalition, led by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) along with its smaller partner, Komeito, has lost its majority in parliament. Together, they won 215 seats, which is below the 233 seats required for a majority. This marks their worst result in over ten years.
LDP’s new leader, Shigeru Ishiba, called for an election shortly after becoming prime minister. However, since the party lost its majority in parliament, Ishiba's political future is now uncertain. On Monday, he acknowledged that the election result was a "severe judgment" on the LDP and said they would accept it with humility. "Voters have handed us a harsh verdict and we have to humbly accept this result," Ishiba told national broadcaster NHK.
"The Japanese people expressed their strong desire for the LDP to do some reflection and become a party that acts in line with the people's will," he said. As the election approaches, Japanese media reported that if the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) loses its majority in parliament, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba might resign in order to take responsibility. This could make him the shortest-serving prime minister in Japan since World War II. This marks the first time the LDP has lost its parliamentary majority since 2009, and since its establishment in 1955, the party has been in power almost continuously.
The results follow a challenging period for the LDP, marked by a series of scandals, widespread disinterest among voters, and historically low approval ratings. Earlier this year, the party's approval ratings dropped below 20% due to a political fundraising corruption scandal. On the other hand, the largest opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), secured 148 seats around 02:00 JST (17:00 GMT), as reported by NHK. However, opposition parties have struggled to unite and persuade voters that they are a credible alternative for governance.
Prior to the dissolution of parliament, the biggest opposition party, the CDP, had an approval rating of only 6.6%. Yoshihiko Noda, the leader of the CDP, stated on Monday that he intends to collaborate with other parties in order to remove the incumbents. “It is so hard to make decisions to choose parties, I think people are losing interest,” Miyuki Fujisaki, a long-time LDP supporter who works in the care-home sector, told the BBC ahead of polls opening. The LDP, she said, has its problems with alleged corruption, “but the opposition also does not stand out at all”.
“They sure complain a lot, but it’s not at all clear on what they want to do,” the 66-year-old said. After the recent results, the Nikkei 225 stock index rose by about 1.5%, while the yen weakened against the US dollar. Despite some indifference, Japan's political scene has been quite dynamic in recent months. Ishiba became the new prime minister after the LDP voted him in, succeeding Fumio Kishida, who unexpectedly decided to resign in August after serving since 2021.
The decision to call the election was made at a time when the LDP is making a frantic attempt to repair its damaged reputation. Longtime lawmaker and former defence minister Ishiba has referred to it as the "people's verdict." The party's reputation has been damaged by a number of scandals. The most significant of them is the party's affiliation with the contentious Unification Church, which some have called a "cult," and the degree of sway it held over legislators.
Subsequently, the political fundraising corruption issue came to light. Prosecutors in Japan are looking into hundreds of LDP MPs who are alleged to have embezzled money from political fundraising events. The foundation of its internal party politics, strong factions, was dissolved as a result of such accusations, which totalled millions of dollars. “What a wretched state the ruling party is in,” said Michiko Hamada, who had travelled to Urawa station, on the outskirts of Tokyo, for an opposition campaign rally. “That is what I feel most. It is tax evasion and it’s unforgivable.”
She believes it to be especially heinous during a period when rising costs are causing hardship for many in Japan. For the past three decades, known as "the lost 30 years," wages have remained unchanged, while for the past two years, prices have increased at the quickest rate in almost fifty years. Thousands of food items and other daily necessities including mail, medications, gas, and power all suffered price increases this month. “I pay 10,000 yen or 20,000 yen ($65 - $130; £50 - £100) more for the food per month (than I used to),” Ms Hamada said.
“And I’m not buying the things I used to buy. I am trying to save up but it still costs more. Things like fruit are very expensive.” She is not alone in her concerns about exorbitant costs. Chie Shimizu, a pensioner, claims she now needs to work part-time to support herself. “Our hourly wage has gone up a bit but it does not match the prices,” she told the BBC as she picked up some food from a stand at Urawa station. “I come to places like this to find something cheaper and good because everything in regular shops is expensive.”
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