Caption: Ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) secretary general Hiroshi Moriyama reacts as he arrives at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo on July 20, 2025

TOKYO – Japan’s ruling coalition lost its majority in upper house elections on Sunday, local media projected, in a disastrous result for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its partner Komeito won around 41 of the 125 seats contested, short of the 50 needed to retain a majority, Nippon TV and TBS reported, with the populist party Sanseito projected to have made strong gains. (AFP)