US EditionJapan heads to polls in key test for PM Ishiba
JAPAN, JUL 20 – Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's coalition won 41 of 125 contested seats, falling short of the 50-seat majority amid voter concerns over inflation, immigration, and trade tensions, NHK reported.
- On July 20, 2025, Japanese voters cast their ballots in Tokyo for half of the 248 seats in the upper house, with the election expected to be closely fought.
- The election follows losses for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party , amid rising prices, immigration concerns, and opposition gains making an LDP majority uncertain.
- The right-wing Sanseito party, gaining youth support via social media, promotes nationalist policies opposing immigration and foreign capital, while smaller opposition parties push tax cuts and more spending.
- Ishiba encouraged his supporters by saying, "Do not underestimate us," but polls indicate that the LDP-Komeito coalition might not secure enough seats—specifically fewer than 50—to maintain their majority in the upper house.
- A poor showing in the election could weaken Ishiba's government, risk no-confidence motions, disrupt investor confidence, and complicate the August 1 trade deal deadline with the United States.
219 Articles
219 Articles
Japanese PM stays on to tackle high inflation and US tariffs despite a key election loss
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who faced a major defeat in a key election for the smaller of Japan’s two-chamber parliament, said Monday he will stay on to tackle challenges such as rising prices and high U.S. tariffs. Ishiba’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner Komeito were short three seats to maintain a majority in the 248-seat upper house in Sunday’s vote. The coalition is now a minority in…
Hedge funds dumped Japanese stocks ahead of upper house election, says Goldman
By Summer Zhen HONG KONG (Reuters) -Global hedge funds offloaded Japanese equities at the sharpest pace in almost two-and-a-half months last week, just ahead of the country’s upper house election on Sunday, Goldman Sachs said in a note. Sunday’s election dealt a major blow to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his ruling coalition, just as investors who had been selling Japanese bonds and stocks in the run up to the election had expected. Japan’s…
Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba receives the receipt for his government's hesitant policy.
Japan's ruling coalition loses upper house in election
Japan's Liberal Democratic Party and its partner, Komeito, both part of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's ruling coalition, lost control of the upper house in the election on Sunday, July 20, NHK reported. Maintaining control was Ishiba's main goal in this election, but he told the media that he intends to stay in his role nonetheless. The prime minister and the ruling coalition also lost the lower house in October, Reuters wrote, putting Ishiba a…
This Sunday the citizens of Japan will decide, through a vote, the seats of the upper house. According to DW, the citizens will vote for just over half of the 248 seats in the Upper House of the Japanese Parliament.The Liberal Democratic Party (PLD) and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, and their allied Komeito party, needed to obtain at least 50 of those seats in order to maintain their majority. However, the popularity of the PL has declined main…
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