Japanese PM's coalition loses majority in upper house election
Mr Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner Komeito needed to win 50 seats on top of the 75 seats they already had to reach the goal. With two more seats to be decided, the coalition had only 46 seats.
Advertisement
The loss is another blow to Mr Ishiba's coalition, making it a minority in both houses following its October defeat in the lower house election, and worsening Japan's political instability.
Voters fill in their ballots at a polling station in Tokyo (Eugene Hoshiko/AP)
It was the first time the LDP had lost a majority in both houses of parliament since the party's foundation in 1955.
Despite the loss, Mr Ishiba expressed determination to stay on to tackle challenges such as US tariff threats, but he could face calls from within his party to step down or find another coalition partner.
'I will fulfil my responsibility as head of the number one party and work for the country,' he said.
Advertisement
Mr Ishiba had set the bar low, wanting a simple majority of 125 seats, which meant his LDP and its Buddhist-backed junior coalition partner Komeito needed to win 50 to add to the 75 seats they already had.
Mr Ishiba could face calls from within the LDP party to step down or find another coalition partner (Shuji Kajiyama, Pool/AP)
Exit poll results released seconds after the ballots closed on Sunday night mostly showed a major setback for Mr Ishiba's coalition.
The LDP alone won 38 seats, better than most exit poll projections of 32, and still the number one party in the parliament, known as the Diet.
'It's a tough situation. I take it humbly and sincerely,' Mr Ishiba told a live interview with NHK.
Advertisement
He said the poor showing was because his government's measures to combat price increases had yet to reach many people.
Sunday's vote comes after Mr Ishiba's coalition lost a majority in the October lower house election (Eugene Hoshiko/AP)
The poor performance in the election will not immediately trigger a change of government because the upper house lacks the power to file a no-confidence motion against a leader, but it will certainly deepen uncertainty over his fate and Japan's political stability.
Mr Ishiba could face calls from within the LDP party to step down or find another coalition partner.
Soaring prices, lagging incomes and burdensome social security payments are the top issues for frustrated, cash-strapped voters. Stricter measures targeting foreign residents and visitors also emerged as a key issue, with a surging right-wing populist party leading the campaign.
Advertisement
Sunday's vote comes after Mr Ishiba's coalition lost a majority in the October lower house election, stung by past corruption scandals, and his government has since been forced into making concessions to the opposition to get legislation through parliament.
US president Donald Trump has added to the pressure, complaining about a lack of progress in trade negotiations (Alex Brandon/AP)
It has been unable to quickly deliver effective measures to mitigate rising prices, including Japan's traditional staple of rice, and dwindling wages.
US president Donald Trump has added to the pressure, complaining about a lack of progress in trade negotiations and the lack of sales of US vehicles and American-grown rice to Japan despite a shortfall in domestic stocks of the grain.
A 25% tariff due to take effect on August 1 has been another blow for Mr Ishiba.
Advertisement
Mr Ishiba resisted any compromise before the election, but the prospect for a breakthrough after the election is just as unclear because the minority government would have difficulty forming a consensus with the opposition.
Frustrated voters were rapidly turning to emerging populist parties. But the eight main opposition groups were too fractured to forge a common platform as a united front and gain voter support as a viable alternative.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
8 minutes ago
- The Independent
UK, France and 23 other countries say the war in Gaza ‘must end now'
The foreign ministers of countries including Australia, Canada and Japan have condemned 'the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians' seeking food.
Reuters
9 minutes ago
- Reuters
Russia-backed Indian refiner condemns EU curbs, weighs legal options
NEW DELHI, July 21 (Reuters) - Russia-backed Indian refiner Nayara Energy on Monday condemned the European Union's sanctions on it and said it was exploring legal options against the latest "restrictive measures". On Friday, the EU approved its 18th package of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine, which includes sanctions on Nayara Energy, a refinery backed by Russian oil major Rosneft ( opens new tab. "Nayara Energy strongly condemns the European Union's unjust and unilateral decision to impose restrictive measures on our company," it said in a statement. Rosneft holds a 49.13% stake in Nayara and a similar stake is owned by a consortium, Kesani Enterprises Co Ltd, led by Italy's Mareterra Group and Russian investment group United Capital Partners. "We are actively exploring all legal and appropriate avenues to address this situation and to protect the interests of our operations, employees, and our stakeholders," Nayara said, asserting that the latest EU sanctions had "no legal basis". The company, which operates a 400,000 barrels per day refinery in western India, has lined up more than 700 billion rupees ($8.1 billion) of investment for projects including petrochemicals and the expansion of its fuel retail stations. "We categorically state that this unilateral move by the European Union is founded on baseless assertions, representing an undue extension of authority that ignores both international law and the sovereignty of India," it said. India has said it does not support "unilateral sanctions" by the EU. ($1 = 86.2980 Indian rupees)
Daily Mail
9 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Anthony Albanese's office photo: What's in, what's out and what it says about Australia's leader in 2025... including the item we can all relate to
As Parliament resumes after Anthony Albanese 's second election win, this time resounding, the Prime Minister's office again offers a curated window into the man behind the nation's top job. Call it political interior design, or just the subtle messaging of power through personal artefacts. Either way, the objects on the PM's desk and surrounding shelves speak volumes about what he values, what he wants Australians to see, and just as tellingly, what he no longer feels the need to display. The latest official photo makes that point before you even scan the bookshelf. In 2023, Albo was snapped in a Radio Birdman T-shirt (4), a visual nod to his Triple J sensibilities and his everyman persona (in inner cities at least). This time around, it's a sharp navy jacket and open-collared shirt - no band tees, no slogans. He finally looks the part: re-elected, emboldened, and leaning into the gravitas that comes with high office. The personal flourishes remain, but the overall tone has matured. The Prime Minister is no longer dressing down for the cameras. So too, the artefacts have undergone a kind of rebrand. Several once-prominent pieces are conspicuously absent this time around. The signed Midnight Oil Makarrata Project album (6) is gone, so too the Qantas model plane (3) that for years sat proudly in Albanese's office - a holdover from his time as transport minister. But their disappearance is more than aesthetic tidying. These weren't just casual desk decorations. They were part of a first-term identity: the music-obsessed, frequent-flying, culturally savvy Albo. But political offices don't remove memorabilia without cause. The Oils' frontman Peter Garrett hasn't exactly been generous in his praise of Labor's policy agenda, especially post-Voice. The model jet? Grounded, just like the Prime Minister's association with Alan Joyce-era Qantas - a proximity that drew scrutiny in the first term, especially after revelations about his son Nathan's controversial Chairman's Lounge membership. Even his GQ Man of the Year award (7) - which, for full disclosure, I profiled him for in the magazine itself - has been retired from view. Previously positioned proudly behind his chair, it now appears to have been quietly boxed. Maybe it didn't fit the updated message. Or maybe it just felt a little off-key for a second-term PM aiming for statesman, not celebrity. Gone too are some of the older, familiar touchstones: the Rabbitohs-themed items, while still present, have been consolidated. The signed NRL and AFL balls (5 and 9) remain on a higher shelf, but no longer dominate the foreground. They're still there, but dialled down - a nod to his sporting passions rather than a centrepiece. The new additions on Albanese's desk say a lot about the PM's priorities - or at least what he wants the public to believe they are. There are more images of his son Nathan, including the long-present framed portrait (1), as well as a newer, staged photo of the PM, his fiancée Jodie Haydon, and Nathan walking Toto the cavoodle together (13). It's a curated slice of suburban domesticity - all that's missing is a flat white and a Sunday market in the background. A singular photo of Jodie (11) now features more prominently than before, part of a broader theme of personal connection. But the most conspicuous addition in that category is the framed cartoon showing Albanese proposing to Jodie (6) - playful, whimsical, and unusually revealing for a man trying to project control and seriousness. It's placed directly beside another framed drawing: a stylised portrait of Toto the dog (7), who has now ascended to gallery status on the office wall. It's another new entry - possibly clipped from a weekend paper, or sent to him directly by the cartoonist - offering a glimpse of the PM's self-awareness. The humour is still there, just framed more formally. In a subtle nod to expanding his appeal beyond the Inner West, a cricket ball now rests on the shelf (4). It's a small but deliberate choice. Rugby league remains his passion, Souths in particular, but cricket speaks to a more traditional national pastime - and perhaps a broader audience. Toto the cavoodle (7) has ascended to gallery status on the office wall Then there's Rosie Batty's book Hope (12), prominently placed. It's unclear whether Albanese has actually read it, but its appearance speaks to the second-term agenda. Domestic violence policy is a key priority for this government, and the symbolism of having Batty's work on display underscores that intent. There are policies backing this up - the signal, in this case, comes with substance. And finally, the most easily missed but perhaps most relatable inclusion: the frayed phone charger cord (14), trailing off the desk's edge like an unresolved policy thread. It's minor, yes, but symbolic. A little worn. A little tangled. A touch of chaos under the veneer of order - just like governing. Consistent Threads Some things haven't changed. The Aboriginal artwork (2) behind one of the family photos remains, a quiet continuity in the post-referendum landscape. It's not flashy, but it's constant - a subtle marker of ongoing commitment even amid national setbacks. The trio of flags - Australian, Aboriginal, and Torres Strait Islander (10) - also endures. While largely ceremonial, their continued presence sends a message about national identity. Had Peter Dutton won the election, it's hard to imagine two of the three surviving the transition. A PM Rebranding — Gently So, what does it all add up to? This is still the office of a Labor leader deeply shaped by personal story - a son of a single mum, a Souths tragic, a man who found love again later in life. But the second-term version is more grounded, more disciplined. The rock'n'roll flair has been packed away. The slogans have been shelved. The sentimental has overtaken the stylised. The family photos, the artwork, the dog drawing - they all build a narrative of empathy and authenticity. But the shift in wardrobe and removal of old cultural flourishes suggest a new layer: authority. Albanese is no longer just trying to be relatable. He's trying to be taken seriously. Whether the public or Parliament notices the change is another matter entirely. But in politics, as in life, the smallest details often say the most. And for the record, Albo, I still have that GQ article buried in a box in the garage. If you want to reframe it… I'll see if I can find it.
