The Japanese government will hold the House of Councilors election on the 20th of next month. Following the defeat of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election, which is referred to as a 'preliminary battle' for the House of Councilors, this election is expected to be a crucial turning point for the Ishiba administration.
According to Kyodo News, the Japanese government confirmed in the Cabinet meeting that the House of Councilors election will take place on the 20th of next month. The House of Councilors consists of 248 members, and half of the members are elected every three years.
Prime Minister Ishiba stated the day before regarding the House of Councilors election, 'I will not lightly say what number of seats we are aiming for, but I will do my utmost to secure a majority along with the non-reelected seats.'
Combining the electoral districts and proportional representation, the current LDP and Gong Myoung party members are 52 and 14, respectively. If the two parties produce a total of 50 winners, the LDP coalition will hold a majority in conjunction with their existing number of seats.
This election comes after the LDP lost in the House of Representatives election (general election) in October of last year and recorded the fewest seats ever in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election on the 22nd of this month, resulting in a historic defeat. In the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election, the LDP ceded the position of the first party to the Citizens First group for the first time in four years.
The Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) evaluated that if the LDP secures 49 seats or fewer, it could be interpreted as voters effectively not trusting the Ishiba administration. They also noted that even if the LDP obtains 50 to 62 seats in this election, 'the situation where the opposition holds a majority in the House of Representatives will not change.'