Defeat for the Government of Japan in the partial elections. Prime Minister Ishiba: “I accept with solemnity this hard result”/ What is the great surprise of the election

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Sunday evening that he accepts “solemnly this hard result”, after his governing coalition lost, according to polls, control over the Parliament's upper Chamber, reports Reuters, taken by News.ro.

Although the poll does not directly determine the fate of the minority government, the result emphasizes the pressure on the fragile leader, at a time when Japan approaches a critical deadline for a commercial agreement with the United States.

Exit-poll estimates, disastrous for power coalition

The Liberal Democrat (PLD) Party of Ishiba and his coalition partner, Komeito, needed 50 mandates to keep the majority in the upper room, out of a total of 248 seats, of which half were put into play.

According to the exit poll broadcast by the NHK public television, the coalition is estimated to obtain between 32 and 51 places. Other positions estimate a more modest result, between 41 and 43 mandates. If it falls below 46, it would be the weakest result of the coalition since its formation in 1999.

This is added to the worst result in the last 15 years registered in October at the elections for the lower room, which left the government of Ishiba exposed to censure motions and internal pressures to change the leader.

Two hours after closing the ballot box, the prime minister told NHK that he accepts “solemnly this hard result.” Asked if he intends to stay in office, Ishiba replied: “That's right.”

“We are engaged in extremely critical commercial negotiations with the United States … We must not miss these negotiations. It is natural to dedicate ourselves to the energy of the national interest,” he added later for TV Tokyo.

Japan, the fourth economy of the world, has a term until August 1 to conclude a commercial agreement with the US, otherwise risking punitive rates from the largest export partner.

The far right, the great surprise of the poll

The Constitutional (opposition) Democratic Party is estimated to win between 18 and 30 places, compared to the 22 that previously owned. However, the surprise of the elections is the far -right party, which appeared on YouTube a few years ago, which, with its message “Japan First” and warnings about “a silent invasion” of foreigners, would obtain between 10 and 15 places, compared to one anterior. In the lower chamber, the party currently owns three places.

The opposition parties that promoted the decrease of the taxes and the increase of the social expenses resonated with the voters, in the context in which the prices – especially at rice – have increased significantly.

“PLD has played defensively, being on the wrong side of a key problem for voters. Most households support the reduction of consumption tax to combat inflation, but PLD has opposed. The opposition took advantage and transmitted this message,” said David Boling, analyst at Eurasia Group.

PLD supports tax caution, fearing the instability of the market for government obligations, given the huge public debt of Japan-the largest in the world.

Sanasito, which appeared during the pandemic with conspiracy messages about vaccines and global elites, carried the marginal rhetoric to the forefront of Japanese politics and attracted the support of dissatisfied voters. It remains to be seen if the model of other far -right parties in Europe will follow, such as AFD in Germany or Reform UK in the UK.

“I am at the masters and around me they are no longer Japanese, only foreigners. When I see how public money is spent on foreigners, I have the impression that the Japanese are not respected,” said Yu Nagai, a 25 -year -old who voted for SanSato in Tokyo.

Japan, the oldest society in the world, had in 2023 a record number of about 3.8 million residents abroad – only 3% of the population, but enough to feed nationalist speeches, especially in the context of the explosion of tourism.