Japanese leader forced to seek new allies after shocking parliament defeat

Japanese prime-minister lost control over parliament after recent election defeat due to financial issues. Now his minority government must cooperate with former rivals to stay in power

November 29 2024 , 07:02 AM  •  2185 views

Japanese leader forced to seek new allies after shocking parliament defeat

In early-fall 2024 Shigeru Ishiba faces new political reality after his ruling coalition lost its grip on Japans lower house. The prime-minister whose Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito partner failed to keep their parliament majority now needs to find common-ground with former rivals

The 465-seat lower chamber (which holds more power than the upper house) shows different numbers after Oct-27 voting day. The coalitionʼs defeat means they dont have enough seats to pass laws without getting help from other parties; this new set-up creates an interesting political mix-up

The voters choice reflected their anger about money-related problems in Ishibaʼs party. To keep his shaky government working he made a public statement on Friday saying: “we will build bridges with opposition groups that were left out before.“ His team is now working on quick-paced changes to fix financial rules and party management