CNN —
Japanese voters delivered a scathing rebuke to the longtime ruling party in Sunday’s election, plunging the world’s fourth-largest economy into an era of rare political uncertainty.
Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party, which has ruled Japan almost continuously since 1955, has lost its parliamentary majority in the powerful lower house for the first time in 15 years.
Voters were voicing their dissatisfaction at voting booths as public anger and distrust of the government grew over soaring living costs, inflation, and a huge political funding scandal involving the Liberal Democratic Party.
According to public broadcaster NHK, the Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito won just 215 of the 465 seats in the House of Representatives, falling short of the 233 seats needed to reach a majority.
The result is a major blow to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who took office only this month and his bet to call a snap election to strengthen his position backfired dramatically.
Ishiba said voters had passed a “harsh judgment” on the party, NHK reported.
Japan’s lower house elections are usually a foregone conclusion, with the conservative Liberal Democratic Party dominating Japan’s post-World War II political scene.
It is currently unclear who will govern Japan, as Ishiba, a former defense minister with extensive political experience, may have a difficult time forming a government.
Ahead of the election, the Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito won a stable majority of 279 seats, while the Liberal Democratic Party alone won 247 seats. On Sunday, the Liberal Democratic Party won just 191 seats, its worst result since 2009, when the party suffered its biggest defeat. This forced the transfer of power to the opposition party.
To maintain power, the Liberal Democratic Party could incorporate other parties into a coalition government or try to govern through a minority government, but either option would jeopardize Ishiba’s position as prime minister.
The main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party, won 148 seats, a significant increase from 98 seats. “Our goal was to break through to the ruling party’s majority, and we achieved that. It’s a great achievement,” Constitutional Democratic Party leader Yoshihiko Noda said at a press conference on Sunday.
Before the election, the Liberal Democratic Party faced declining approval ratings and public dissatisfaction over one of the biggest political scandals in decades. Families and households are facing increasing financial burdens, which are exacerbated by the weaker yen, economic downturn and high inflation.
The funding scandal involves millions of dollars in undocumented political money, with some factions within the party paying kickbacks to lawmakers on fundraising sales and failing to properly declare their income. He has been accused of doing so.
Former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida tried to limit the damage by dismissing several cabinet ministers and dissolving factions within the Liberal Democratic Party (essentially intra-party coalitions). However, in the face of calls for him to resign, he announced in August that he would not run for a second term.
According to reports, Ishiba said he would not formally support some party members involved in the scandal, but was allowed to run as an independent.
It appears that the prime minister has stepped back from many positions since becoming president of the Liberal Democratic Party. According to Kyodo News, he supported a bill that would allow married women to keep their maiden names, but later said it needed “further discussion.”
As Minister of Defense, Mr. Ishiba was strong on deterrence as a security issue. Before the election, he proposed an Asian version of the NATO security zone, but it was rejected by the United States and the idea was apparently withdrawn.
According to Reuters, Ishiba also promised financial support for low-income households, raising the minimum wage and revitalizing local regions. He promised a “complete break away” from Japan’s high inflation rate and vowed to achieve “real wage growth.”
Japan’s election will be held just one week before the United States votes for a new president. Mr. Ishiba has made strengthening relations with the United States a priority, and is seeking to deepen ties with allies amid growing security challenges in Asia, including an increasingly assertive China and a belligerent North Korea.
The partnership with Japan has long been central to U.S. strategy in the Asia-Pacific region, and Ishiba’s predecessor, Kishida, expanded Japan’s defense cooperation with the key ally this year. According to Reuters, Ishiba is calling for a more balanced relationship, including stronger oversight of US military bases in Japan.
In a political culture that prizes conformity, Ishiba has long been an outlier, someone willing to criticize or oppose his own party. His outspoken stance has made him a formidable enemy within the Liberal Democratic Party, but he is admired by many grassroots members and the public.
From now on, a power struggle will begin as political parties seek cooperation to secure enough seats to form a government.
The political future of Ishiba and the Liberal Democratic Party is uncertain, with one of the world’s most important economies facing a period of uncertainty until next summer’s upper house elections.
