TOKYO, Oct. 28 (Xinhua/GNA) — Japan’s political landscape has entered a period of heightened uncertainty, following Sunday’s general election, which saw the ruling coalition lose its long-held majority, and left no party with a clear mandate to navigate the economic challenges that the country is currently facing.
Japan’s ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and its partner Komeito, secured 215 of the 465 seats in the lower house election, falling short of the majority threshold for the first time in 15 years. Even if the LDP readmits former lawmakers who ran as independents due to a scandal that led to their loss of party endorsement, the coalition would still lose a majority in the influential lower house. Analysts saw the result as the Japanese public’s final “judgment” on the LDP, triggered by a series of political funding scandals that have fueled widespread discontent.
Atsushi Kouketsu, emeritus professor at Yamaguchi University, said while the election result was extremely harsh for the LDP, it could serve as a catalyst for necessary changes within the party. In contrast, the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) significantly increased its representation, rising from 98 seats before the election to 148 seats.
As mandated by the constitution, the Diet must convene a special session within 30 days of the election date, in which the current cabinet led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, will collectively resign and the newly elected members of the Diet, will nominate the next prime minister.
If reelected, Ishiba would establish a second cabinet. Otherwise, he risks becoming Japan’s shortest-serving prime minister since World War II. His fate now hangs in the balance, and analysts are closely watching whether he can rally enough support and negotiate with opposition groups to secure a stable government going forward. Smaller parties, like the Democratic Party for the People (DPP) and the Japan Innovation Party, may now play crucial roles in the political landscape.
The DPP secured 28 seats, while the Japan Innovation Party gained 38. But leaders of both parties have said they would rule out joining the coalition but are open to case-by-case cooperation on certain issues.
Regarding potential alliances with other opposition parties, Ishiba indicated on Monday afternoon that he is not currently considering such arrangements, but highlighted the importance of understanding and integrating the views of the electorate in future discussions.
In another scenario, should the opposition parties manage to unify with independents and secure a majority, a change in power could be feasible. Even if the LDP-Komeito coalition remains in power, negotiating with a third party for its cooperation in parliament for each bill would exacerbate political instability and drastically reduce the LDP’s authority over the coalition, making Ishiba’s administration on even less stable ground. The new administration will also face significant challenges, including making serious political reforms to address public outrage, over the scandal and tackling economic concerns regarding rising prices and stagnant wages.
In recent years, sluggish economic growth, wage stagnation, rising prices and the yen’s sharp depreciation have created woes for the Japanese public.
In a statement on Monday, Masakazu Tokura, head of the Japanese Business Federation, pointed out that Japan’s economy faces urgent and significant challenges that cannot be ignored, expressing his hope for the establishment of a stable political framework, centered around the ruling LDP and Komei,to to enable policy-driven governance to progress effectively.
GNA