Media outlets outside Japan have reported as breaking news that the country’s ruling coalition failed to secure a majority in the Lower House elections on Sunday.
Reuters, China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency, and South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported, citing NHK, that it had become certain that the ruling bloc would not secure a majority.
Reuters said the biggest winner of the night, the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, made substantial seat gains in the chamber.
It also said voters punished the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party led by Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru over a funding scandal and inflation.
Reuters added that the outcome could usher in “political instability as the country faces economic headwinds and a tense security situation in East Asia.”
The Associated Press said, “The results reflect voters’ outrage over the governing party’s extensive financial scandals.”
Britain’s public broadcaster BBC quoted Prime Minister Ishiba as saying, “Voters have handed us a harsh verdict.”