Japan elections: Ruling coalition at risk of losing majority
In Japan, parliamentary elections are being held on Sunday. Exit polls suggest that the ruling coalition of two parties might not secure a majority.
The current ruling coalition in Japan consists of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and the conservative Komeito party.
According to NHK television estimates, the prime minister's party can expect to win between 154 and 219 seats in the 475-member House of Representatives (the lower house of the Japanese parliament). If these results are confirmed, the party will not achieve an independent majority, which requires 233 seats.
The last time the LDP lost its independent majority was in 2009 when the Democratic Party of Japan took power.
Meanwhile, Komeito, a long-time coalition partner of the LDP, is expected to secure between 21 and 35 seats. This means neither party will be able to secure a two-thirds majority to form a government together.
Change of power in Japan. Opposition close to winning the elections
The opposition Constitutional Democratic Party is expected to win between 128 and 191 seats. This is a significant increase compared to the party's previous 98 seats. However, due to the highly divided opposition camp, it may not be enough to take power from the LDP.
According to data at 6 PM local time (9 AM GMT), voter turnout was just under 29%, a drop of over 2.6 percentage points compared to the elections three years ago.
Official results are expected on Monday.
