Lawmakers were set to decide on Monday whether Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba remains the country's leader after his scandal-tarnished coalition lost its parliamentary majority in a Lower House election late last month.
Ishiba, who called the snap poll after coming into office on Oct. 1, is expected to prevail as his Liberal Democratic Party and coalition partner Komeito won the biggest block of seats in the election, while losing the majority held since 2012.
Even so, Ishiba then faces the prospect of running a fragile minority government as protectionist Donald Trump regains control in Japan's main ally the U.S., tensions rise with rivals China and North Korea, and public pressure mounts at home to tackle a cost of living crunch.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.