Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, Komeito, were projected to lose their majority in the Upper House, media reports said Sunday, a defeat that could trigger Ishiba’s resignation or political deadlock in parliament.
The election — which came just nine months after Ishiba took office — was seen as a rebuke of the prime minister and the LDP, which has now been dealt drubbings in two national elections under his leadership following October’s loss of its majority in a Lower House poll.
A variety of scenarios now await the country, from an enlarged ruling coalition to an opposition-led chamber, or even a minority leadership in both chambers. Pressure is likely to rise for Ishiba to resign, although it was too early to tell if that would be the case.
