Japan's ruling self-righteousness failed to win a majority...a crushing defeat for the first time in 15 years

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito Party failed to secure a majority of seats in Japan's lower house election yesterday and suffered a crushing defeat.

Japan's NHK broadcast said that as of 1:41 a.m. today, when votes were being counted, the Liberal Democratic Party had 186 seats and the Komeito Party, the ruling coalition, had 208 seats with 22.

Meanwhile, opposition seats, including independents, stood at 235, ahead of those secured by the LDP and Komeito, the report said.

It is the first time in 15 years that the Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito have failed to secure a majority of seats in the general election since 2009, when they gave power to the Democratic Party.

The Liberal Democratic Party has secured a single majority in each of the four general elections since 2012, when former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took power for a second time, but the result of this election has ended a 12-year run.

As a result, it will be difficult for the Liberal Democratic Party to remain in power if it fails to secure a majority of seats by joining forces with other parties besides the ruling New Komeito.

The cause of the election defeat is the worsening public opinion due to high prices, along with the slush fund scandal of factions within the Liberal Democratic Party, which erupted under former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

In particular, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who has been in office for about a month, is likely to face calls for his resignation, especially from the hard-right Abe faction in the Liberal Democratic Party, over responsibility for the crushing election defeat.

Asked about his future, however, in a broadcast interview during the vote count, Ishiba said, "I don't think I should say that at all," expressing a negative stance on his resignation.

In the special session of the National Assembly, which will be convened next month, the existing cabinet will resign, and the formation of new members, including the nomination of prime minister and standing committee, will take place during the session.

As a result, it is expected that Japan's main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party, which has made strides in this election, will also engage in a coalition to change the government.