Japan's ruling coalition officially loses majority in the House of Representatives

In a difficult general election, Japan's ruling coalition, consisting of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Komeito Party, officially lost its majority, winning only 215 out of 465 seats in the House of Representatives, failing to reach its target of 233 seats and much lower than the 288 seats in the previous term.

According to the final vote count, the ruling LDP won only 191 seats, a sharp drop of 65 seats compared to 256 seats in the previous term. Its partner, the Komeito Party, won only 24 seats compared to 32 seats in the previous term.

The opposition Constitutional Democratic Party (CDPJ) was considered a great success when it won 148 seats, an increase of 50 seats compared to 98 seats in the previous term.

The Democratic Party for the People (DPP) also achieved significant success in this election, gaining 11 more seats than the previous term, from 7 seats to 28 seats.

The Japan Innovation Party (JIP) won 38 seats, down 5 seats from the previous term. The Japanese Communist Party won 8 seats, down from 10 seats in the previous term.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigere Ishiba described the election result as "difficult" and admitted "the LDP is far from achieving public understanding" over the slush fund scandal.

He expressed hope to continue leading the Government to promote the coalition's policies.

The ruling coalition's loss of majority control in the House of Representatives for the first time in 15 years could force it to seek outside support to stay in power, whether from independent lawmakers or opposition parties.

Politicians predict that the LDP will likely have to choose between finding a new partner for its ruling coalition or managing the government as a minority coalition.

A special session of the Diet to elect the Prime Minister will be convened within 30 days of the election, as stipulated by the Japanese Constitution.