Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has ruled Japan for almost all of its post-war history, and junior coalition partner Komeito took 215 seats in the lower house of parliament, public broadcaster NHK reported.
That was down from the 279 seats they held previously and marked the coalition's worst election result since it briefly lost power in 2009.
Komeito's Keiichi Ishii, who took over as that party's new leader last month, lost in his district.
The biggest winner of the night, the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), had 148 seats, up from 98 previously, as voters punished Ishiba's party over a funding scandal and inflation, according to Reuters news agency.
The outcome may force parties into fractious power-sharing deals to rule, potentially ushering in political instability as the country faces economic headwinds and a tense security situation in East Asia.
MA/PR
Your Comment