Japan's LDP and opposition scramble for votes to name prime minister

Uncertainty looms over Ishiba's fate with neither top party in majority

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, right, is expected to face off with Constitutional Democratic Party leader Yoshihiko Noda at an upcoming parliamentary session to keep his post. (Source images by Uichiro Kasai, Mizuho Miyazaki)

HIROYUKI AKIYAMA, Nikkei staff writer

October 29, 2024 02:25 JST

TOKYO -- Japan's Liberal Democratic Party and Constitutional Democratic Party are courting smaller parties ahead of the upcoming vote to choose the country's next prime minister, after the LDP and its coalition partner Komeito lost their majority in Sunday's lower house election.

The ruling coalition won 215 seats out of 465 in the latest general election, while the leading opposition CDP won 148. Both sides are now scrambling to assemble a coalition in order to secure a majority.