Japan’s House of Representatives election vote count completed

On the night of October 27, the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) emerged as the biggest winner of Japan’s House of Representatives election, with its leader, Kenta Noda, displaying a broad smile as the results came in. According to reports from NHK and other Japanese media, the vote counting, which began on the 27th, wrapped up in the early hours of the 28th, revealing a significant setback for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has held power for nearly 12 years. The LDP failed to secure a simple majority on its own, and even its coalition with the Komeito Party did not achieve this milestone.

The election results indicated that out of the 465 seats contested, the LDP gained 191 seats while its ally, Komeito, secured 24, totaling 215 seats for the coalition—still short of the 233 needed for a majority. Prior to the election, the LDP held 247 seats and Komeito had 32, totaling 279 seats. Post-election, the LDP experienced a loss of 56 seats, surpassing the media’s pre-election projection of a 50-seat loss. Komeito saw its count drop by 8, bringing the coalition’s total loss to 64 seats.

A notable defeat occurred in Saitama Prefecture, where Komeito leader and former Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism, Keiichi Ishii, lost to Democratic Party member Yoshihiro Suzuki and did not have the opportunity to reclaim his seat on the proportional representation list, resulting in his elimination. This marked the first time since 2009 that a Komeito leader has failed to be elected.

Meanwhile, the CDP transformed into the biggest winner, increasing its seat count from 98 to 148. Kenta Noda, who previously served as Prime Minister during the era of the Democratic Party, expressed his ambition to replace LDP leader Shiiro Ishiba as the new Prime Minister on the evening of the election results.

The other opposition party, the Democratic Party for the People, also made significant gains, increasing its presence from 7 to 28 seats. The Osaka-based Japan Innovation Party experienced a decline, dropping from 44 seats to 38 but retained its status as the third-largest party in the House. The progressive left-wing party, Reiwa Shinsengumi, which was founded in 2019, also grew its numbers from 3 to 9 seats.

Although Ishiba, who also serves as the LDP president, expressed a willingness to collaborate with the opposition parties, Noda along with Yuichiro Tamaki of the Democratic Party for the People and Nobuyuki Baba from the Japan Innovation Party all made it clear that they were not considering joining the LDP-Komeito coalition. Reports from Sankei Shimbun noted that Japan Innovation Party officials were quite skeptical, stating, “We completely do not trust the LDP.”

If Noda aims to reclaim the Prime Minister’s position, he will need to garner support from the Democratic Party for the People and the Japan Innovation Party. However, even if these three parties combine their efforts, they would only have 214 seats, necessitating cooperation with other opposition forces like Reiwa Shinsengumi and the Japanese Communist Party, which saw a decrease of 2 seats, totaling 8.

Despite the LDP’s significant losses, prominent figures within the party, including Ishiba, former Minister of Economic Security Sanae Takaichi, and key figures such as former Prime Ministers Fumio Kishida and Yoshihide Suga successfully secured re-election. Meanwhile, Koichi Hagiuda, who ran as an independent after his faction faced disciplinary action for a political donation scandal, also emerged victorious.