Japan’s ruling Liberal Democrats secure victory in general elections

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Fumio Kishida scored a bigger-than-expected victory for the Liberal Democrats in Japan’s general election despite nationwide fatigue against the ruling party’s grip on power for nearly a decade.

The Liberal Democratic Party retained majority control in the Diet, avoiding the new prime minister’s humiliation that would have jeopardized his leadership.

Markets in Japan rose on Monday, with the Topix index up 1.8 percent in morning trade, as investors welcomed greater prospects for a stable government.

But the races for many of the party’s leading figures were too close, a measure of voter frustration with the LDP’s long rule. Akira Amari, the general secretary of the Liberal Democratic Party and the architect of Japan’s new “economic security” strategy, lost his electoral seat and told Kishida he would step down, state broadcaster NHK reported.

The NHK said the Liberal Democratic Party won 261 seats, down from 276, but enough to maintain one-party control of the 465-seat House of Representatives. Its coalition partner, Komeito, took 32 seats, up from 29.

The biggest beneficiary of the election was Japan’s centre-right Innovation Party, which nearly quadrupled its representation to 41 seats after a campaign focused on advancing regulatory reform.

“I am very grateful for the mandate we got. Kishida told reporters on Sunday evening that the majority led by the LDP also means that we are accepted by the public.

Kishida won the LDP leadership race in late September despite his low popular appeal by promising stability and appealing to powerful factions and figures in the party, including former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

He dissolved the House of Representatives shortly after being appointed prime minister this month, betting on a quick election victory to advance his economic and security initiatives.

He took a strategy that was necessary to become prime minister by establishing cordial relations with Abe. But he will now focus on highlighting his own colors,” said Miko Nakabayashi, a professor at Waseda University.

Many Japanese have sought a clear break after nearly nine years under the rule of Abe and his unpopular successor Yoshihide Suga. But this was undermined by Kishida’s decision to appoint veterans like Amari to influential government positions and his failure to project the promised new image.

“I wanted to change the one-party dictatorship of the LDP,” Yoshifumi Uchiyama said, after voting for the Democratic People’s Party, a small opposition party, at a polling station in Chiba. The financial services industry worker, 31, voted the Liberal Democratic Party in the last election.

The Liberal Democratic Party, along with Komeito, has dominated the polls since Abe led the party to a stunning victory in 2012, raising hopes of an economic recovery and an end to prime ministers’ revolving door.

But in this election, Japan’s long-fragmented opposition camp has demonstrated a greater sense of unity in an attempt to capitalize on the frustration that has built up during the LDP’s time in power.

The five opposition parties fielded one candidate in 213 constituencies out of 289 constituencies that won first place. As a result, only 1,051 candidates — the lowest ever — contested the House of Representatives, including those chosen by proportional representation.

However, Masato Kamikobo, a professor of political science at Ritsumeikan University, said the opposition focused too much on organizing united candidates without having meaningful political discussions.

Some voters have also hesitated to place their trust in opposition parties at a time when Japan is facing various external economic and political challenges, particularly reviving an economy mired in deflation and recovering from the coronavirus pandemic.

Kishida is now expected to travel to the UK to make his world stage debut at the COP26 Climate Summit, where he will outline how Japan intends to meet its carbon emissions targets by 2030 and 2050.

He also focused on strengthening Japan’s economic security and defense measures in view of a more assertive China.

But Kishida has yet to explain how he will break with his predecessors to create a “new form of capitalism” and fund his economic measures to bring wage increases to all.

Additional reporting by Nobuko Joji in Chiba

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