TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Monday dismissed the idea of changing the ruling coalition’s composition for now but expressed a desire to incorporate policy ideas from the opposition camp after a crushing defeat in the general election the day before.
Ishiba, head of the Liberal Democratic Party, described the election outcome, in which the ruling bloc lost its majority in the 465-member House of Representatives, as “harsh,” vowing to fundamentally reform the party to restore voter confidence affected by a slush fund scandal.
While the LDP’s goal of retaining its majority along with its coalition partner Komeito was not achieved, Ishiba said he will continue as prime minister to lead the government and tackle growing economic and security challenges.
“We cannot afford a political stalemate,” Ishiba said at a press conference held at LDP headquarters on Monday.
The main reason behind the election defeat is that “we failed to address people’s suspicion, distrust and anger over the underreporting of political funds and the issue of money in politics,” Ishiba said.
The ruling coalition’s seats dropped sharply to 215 from 288, marking the first time in 15 years they have lost majority control. Seats won by the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan surged to 148 from 98.
According to a Kyodo News exit poll, 74 percent of voters considered the slush fund scandal when casting their ballots. Even among LDP supporters, 68 percent did so, suggesting the scandal influenced their voting behavior.
The LDP has come under intense scrutiny amid revelations that some of its factions, particularly its largest, which was led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe before his 2022 assassination, neglected to report portions of their income from fundraising parties and created slush funds for years.
Earlier in the day, Ishiba, elected LDP president late last month, called for intraparty unity in the wake of the major setback in the general election that could make it difficult for him to remain as leader of the government.
The LDP’s election strategy chief, Shinjiro Koizumi, resigned to take responsibility, while incumbent Cabinet members, including Justice Minister Hideki Makihara, lost their seats. Makihara has voiced his intention to step down on Sunday.
The LDP has begun talks on how to sustain Ishiba’s government ahead of a special parliamentary session to be held within 30 days following the lower house election to elect the next premier. Opposition parties have ruled out joining the current coalition.
Meanwhile, the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, which increased its number of lower house seats, is also exploring ways to join hands with other forces, aiming to bring about a change of government.
Ishiba, who only took office on Oct. 1, had initially considered convening the special parliamentary session on Nov. 7, but his government is likely to revise the plan to allow more time to try and form a majority for the prime ministerial vote, sources close to the matter said.
In another development, the leaders of the two opposition parties, which are traditionally supported by Rengo, the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, met with Tomoko Yoshino, head of the country’s largest labor union, a day after the general election.
CDPJ chief Yoshihiko Noda, a former prime minister who became the party’s leader in late September, said he will hold “sincere” discussions with other opposition parties in the run-up to the special Diet session.
Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People, initially assured Yoshino that his political group will not join the LDP-Komeito coalition. His party and the CDPJ are both offshoots of the now-defunct Democratic Party of Japan.
After the talks, however, Tamaki told reporters that his party is open to policy coordination discussions with other parties, such as the LDP and the CDPJ, adding that he plans to vote for himself in the session rather than for Noda.
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