Japan: Incumbent LDP Secures Victory and Maintains Majority in Parliament

PM Kishida can now make major policy changes, and is unlikely to deviate from Japan's current foreign policy.

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/@ResurrectedLuck)

The ruling party of Japan, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), breezed over the general elections on Sunday, 31 October, BBC reported.

The LDP had 276 seats in the lower house of the Parliament before the election. On Sunday, it ended up with 261, despite it being expected to perform much worse.

Komeito, another conservative party allied to the LDP, won 32 seats, bringing 293 seats in total to the LDP-Komeito coalition.

This victory hands Prime Minister Fumio Kishida all the authority he needs to make major policy changes and budgetary decisions as he seeks to revive Japan's economy hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kishida called the election result a mandate from the people and said that an extra budget would be compiled to aid those who were hit hard by the pandemic, including workers who lost their jobs and students who have been unable to pay their tuition fees, The Guardian reported.

"With the ruling coalition certain to keep its majority, I believe we received a mandate from the voters."

Kishida is unlikely to deviate from the path his predecessors have set for Japan with respect to the foreign policy, like Japan's strong ties with the United States and countering Chinese regional influence through Quad.

He has also promised to tackle inequalities in wealth with a "new capitalism", as class lines seem to be have become more distinct during Japan's response to the pandemic, Reuters reported.

(With inputs from BBC, The Guardian, and Reuters.)