Japan’s Ruling Coalition to Lose Majority in Election, NHK Says

By Jasmine Ng

October 27, 2024 at 11:27AM EDT

Hiroshi Moriyama, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), right, and Itsunori Onodera, chairperson of policy research council of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), bow following the lower house election, at the party's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. Japans Liberal Democratic Party is set to lose its majority in Sundays election, according to a forecast from public broadcaster NHK, leaving in the balance whether the ruling coalition will hold on to power. (Toru Hanai/Bloomberg)

(Bloomberg) -- Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner are set to lose their majority in Sunday’s election, according to a forecast from public broadcaster NHK, raising questions about the future of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

The LDP and Komeito appear likely to fall short of the 233 seats needed for a majority in the lower house of parliament, NHK forecasts. Ishiba had aimed to secure a majority with his coalition partner, recognizing that the LDP would not retain the 247 seats it held before the election.