The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his partner Komeito will certainly not win the necessary 50 seats to secure control of the 248-seat Senate in an election in which half of the seats have been determined, Japanese media reported on the morning of July 21. Currently, only 6 seats have not been announced.
This comes after the party's worst result in 15 years in the House of Representatives election last October. With this result, Prime Minister Ishiba's administration is vulnerable to no-confidence moves as well as calls for leadership changes from within his own Party.
Although the July 20 vote will not directly decide whether the government of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will collapse or not, it will put political pressure on the leader who has lost control of the House of Representatives.
Speaking on the evening of July 20 after the polls ended, Mr. Ishiba expressed his willingness to accept the results.
"We are engaged in extremely important tariff negotiations with the United States. We must never interrupt this negotiation. It is obvious that we are dedicating all our heart and energy to realizing national interests," he said.
When asked if he intended to continue as prime minister and party leader, Mr. Ishiba replied yes.
Japan, the world's fourth largest economy, is facing a deadline of August 1 to reach a trade deal with the US or face tariffs.
In the Japanese Senate election, according to the vote counting results, the main opposition Democratic Party is expected to rank 2nd.
The far-right Sanseito Party, which was born on YouTube a few years ago, has announced its participation in official politics with a "Japan above all" campaign and warned about the problem of foreigners in Japan gaining widespread support. The party is expected to win at least 13 more seats, along with a previously won seat.
