As widely expected, the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito suffered a crushing defeat in Sunday's Upper House election. While the liberal parties struggled to gain ground, the conservative Democratic Party for the People and Sanseito, a populist right-wing party, significantly increased their seats.
Influential LDP figures have started working behind the scenes to oust Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and find his successor. Despite this, Ishiba has not only refused to resign but has repeatedly stated his intention to stay on, citing the responsibility of the largest party as a bizarre justification. How long he can cling to power will depend on his political skills, but even if he succeeds in staying in office, it will not be a matter of years or months, but more likely just weeks at most.
Like Ishiba’s political future, Japan's parliamentary politics is also facing uncertainty, particularly its Cabinet system. If things continue as they are, Japan's Parliament may rapidly be “Knessetized,” that is, and with apologies to my friends in Israel, become increasingly unstable.
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