Tokyo – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe led his scandal-stained ruling coalition to an unexpectedly severe defeat in parliamentary elections Sunday, a stunning reversal of fortune for a party that has controlled Japan virtually uninterrupted since 1955. Despite the humiliating setback, Abe vowed to stay in office.
Exit polls showed Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner losing their majority in the 242-seat upper house.
The leading opposition Democratic Party of Japan made huge gains in the race for the 121 contested seats, exit polls showed. Official results were expected early today local time.
It would be unusual for a prime minister to step down after an upper-house defeat. But calls for Abe’s resignation from within his own party are expected to grow.
Looking grim and chastened, the prime minister called the results “severe” but dismissed questions about whether he should resign.
“I must push ahead with reforms and continue to fulfill my responsibilities as prime minister,” he said. “The responsibility for this utter defeat rests with me.”
The LDP’s loss in the less- powerful upper house would not immediately threaten its political grip because it controls the lower chamber, which chooses the prime minister. But the defeat could make it more difficult for the LDP to pass bills, while enlivening policy debates.
Abe, 52, took office in September as Japan’s youngest prime minister, promising to build a “beautiful Japan,” and won points for mending strained diplomatic ties with South Korea and China.
But his honeymoon was short-lived as his administration was beset by scandals including the disappearance of millions of pension claims.
