Japan’s ruling party loses long-standing majority

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito secured just 215 of the lower house’s 465 seats, short of the 233 needed to reach a majority, according to the national broadcaster NHK.

This is the first time since 2009 that the LDP has lost its majority in the lower house of the Diet, the national parliament. The LDP, a conservative political machine, has ruled the country almost continuously since the party’s founding in 1955.

Ishiba said voters had delivered a “severe judgement” to his party, NHK reported.

Ahead of the elections, the LDP and its junior partner Komeito had a stable majority of 279 seats while the LDP alone had 247. On Sunday, the LDP won just 191 seats.

The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) won 148 seats, a significant increase from 98. CDPJ leader Yoshihiko Noda said in a press conference Sunday, “Our goal was to break the ruling party’s majority, and we achieved it, which is a great accomplishment.”