Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lost its majority in the lower house of parliament for the first time since 2009 in Sunday’s general election, according to preliminary results, in a political setback for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who called the snap election in hopes of consolidating his power.

The results came after a hard-fought campaign in which Ishiba was challenged by high inflation and the fallout from a financial scandal. Public broadcaster NHK estimated that the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its ally Komeito failed to secure the required majority.

In the last election in 2021, the LDP won an overwhelming majority with 259 of the 465 seats in the House of Representatives, while Komeito won 32 seats. Current estimates suggest that the two allies will lose control of the majority, as they are expected to have no more than 233 seats, the number needed to form a government without the need for additional alliances

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