Ishiba Under Siege After Coalition's Trouncing in Upper House Polls

Far-right party set to make big gains as Japan politics enters uncharted territory

- Walter Sim

TOKYO - Besieged Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba finds himself deeper in the political trenches after his ruling coalition was battered at the Upper House election on July 20, but has defiantly insisted he will not quit.

His remarks, televised nationwide, followed exit polls indicating that his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its partner, Komeito, were highly unlikely to win the 50 seats necessary to defend their majority in the Upper Chamber of Japan's bicameral Parliament.

Final results were due in the early hours of July 21.

A likely big winner is the far-right populist Sanseito party, which is projected to clinch up to 22 seats, a significant leap from its previous single seat.

Sanseito campaigned on a "Japanese First" slogan, advancing claims that Japan was suffering a "silent invasion" of foreigners, whose investments and tourist dollars rendered the nation an "economic colony". It said the reliance on foreign workers amounted to a "national doping scheme".

Mr Ishiba remained headstrong despite the bleak forecasts and calls from within his own party to quit.

"I believe that we should never forget our responsibility to the nation, and the responsibility we owe to having been given the seats as, comparatively, the largest party in the Diet (even without a majority)," he asserted. "We must, at all costs, avoid creating a political vacuum and making the confusion worse."

Upper House lawmakers serve fixed six-year terms, with an election held every three years for half of the 248-seat Chamber. The LDP and Komeito have 75 seats not up for re-election.

On July 20, 125 seats were at stake, including one vacancy. Voter turnout was estimated at 57.91 per cent, an increase of 5.86 percentage points from 2022.