Japan's prime minister feels pressure after election losses

What happened

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has vowed to remain in office, despite exit polls indicating that his Liberal Democratic Party's ruling coalition has lost its majority in the country's upper house. The LDP-Komeito coalition surrendered its majority in the lower house last year, and defeat in Sunday's tightly-contested election could further undermine its influence.

Who said what

There is "frustration" with Ishiba, the LDP and Komeito over rising prices, inflation, a "string of political scandals" and the "threat of U.S. tariffs," said the BBC. The election "exposed a growing generational fissure" in Japan, with the "biggest gains" going to a "gaggle of new parties that drew younger voters with stridently nationalist messages," said The New York Times. The "fringe far-right" Sanseito party made gains with its "Japanese First" campaign, said Reuters.

What next?

Ishiba said he "solemnly" accepted the "harsh result." He vowed to "deal with" the "many issues" facing the country, including reaching a trade deal with the Trump administration. A new leader now would "almost certainly unleash political drama," said the BBC, and "destabilize Japan's government at a pivotal moment in U.S.-Japan trade negotiations."

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