The Democratic Party of Japan stumbled to another crushing defeat in the Upper House election Sunday, making it clear the opposition party will continue to face huge struggles to regain voters' trust.

Early election results Sunday indicated the DPJ, which ruled the nation from 2009 until the Lower House poll in December 2012, has been unable to rebuild.

Of the 242 seats in the House of Councilors, 121 were at stake in the ballot, including 44 held by the DPJ. The party fielded 55 candidates, but exit polls by major media groups showed that it would not win even 20 seats — a record low for the party.