Japan PM Laments "Harsh" Election Result As Upper House Control Slips

Japan’s fragile ruling coalition is likely to lose control of the upper house, according to exit polls from Sunday’s election—an outcome that could spark political instability just as a key tariff deadline with the United States approaches, Reuters reported via Mariko Katsumura and Kantaro Komiya.

The results follow the coalition’s weakest showing in 15 years during last October’s lower house election. I Photo: PM's Office of Japan X

While the election does not directly determine whether Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s minority government will fall, it adds significant pressure on the embattled leader, who already lost control of the more powerful lower house in October.

Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner Komeito needed at least 50 seats to secure a majority in the 248-seat upper chamber, where half of the seats were contested in this cycle.

According to an exit poll by public broadcaster NHK, the coalition is projected to win between 32 and 51 seats.

Other media forecasts place the number between 41 and 43. If the coalition’s total drops below 46, it would mark its worst performance since the partnership was formed in 1999.

The results follow the coalition’s weakest showing in 15 years during last October’s lower house election, further exposing Ishiba’s administration to potential no-confidence motions and increasing calls from within the LDP for a leadership change.