The Prime Minister of Japan, Shigeru Ishiba, has vowed to continue ruling the country despite his party’s heavy loss in the national elections.
The country now faces an uncertain political future as the coalition led by the long-time ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has lost its parliamentary majority, its worst result in a decade.
Ishiba was sworn in as prime minister this month after winning the leadership of his party. He called snap elections to consolidate his authority.
But in his speech on Monday, he acknowledged that the LDP had received a “severe judgment” from voters, adding that his party would “humbly accept” this.
“The Japanese people have expressed their strong desire for the LDP to reflect and become a party that acts according to the will of the people,” Ishiba told national broadcaster NHK.
The LDP and its smaller coalition partner Komeito, together took 215 seats, short of the 233 majority needed to govern.
It is the first time that the LDP has lost its majority in parliament since 2009. The team has dominated Japan almost continuously since 1955.
The result comes after a tumultuous few years for the LDP that have seen a number of scandals, widespread voter apathy and record low approval ratings.
The group saw approval ratings below 20% at the start of the year, after a fundraising corruption scandal.
Ishiba on Monday pledged to make “fundamental changes in terms of money and politics”.
“We have to respond to people’s criticism. That is how I will respond to losing the election,” he said.
He also promised to revitalize Japan’s rural areas and tackle inflation.
Japan’s parliament now has 30 days to meet to elect a prime minister. The Prime Minister’s party or an elected coalition, will form a government and can do so even without a majority of seats.
Ishiba said there are no plans to expand his political alliance at this time. This raises the possibility that he may retain his prime ministership and his coalition will continue to rule Japan without a majority. But it also means that they will no longer have the power to pass laws unilaterally.
Another possibility is for the opposition parties to form a government – the largest, the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), won 148 seats from 98 previously.
But that’s an unlikely scenario as opposition parties in Japan have historically had difficulty mobilizing or convincing voters that they are a viable form of government.
The CDP had an approval rating of just 6.6% before parliament was dissolved.
Politics in Japan have been moving rapidly in recent months.
Ishiba took over as country’s leader earlier this month following a party election after his predecessor Fumio Kishida – who had held the post until 2021 – made a surprise decision to step down in August.
The move to call the election comes at a time when the LDP is desperate to restore its poor public image.
Chief among the series of scandals that have hit the LDP is its relationship with the controversial Unification Church, described by critics as a “cult”, and the extent of its influence on lawmakers.
Then came the revelations of the waste money scandal, where a number of LDP lawmakers were accused of siphoning off money from fundraising events.
Those allegations, which run into millions of dollars, have led to the dissolution of powerful factions.
Additional reporting by Chika Nakayama
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