HONOLULU — As expected, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) were defeated in Sunday's Upper House election. And, despite concerted attempts to lower expectations, the results still embarrassed the ruling party.
Yet, to the consternation of many, Abe has vowed to stay in office to continue the work he began. That commitment is laudable, but a stubborn determination to stay the course is not what Japan needs. Rather, Japan needs creative leadership that can adapt to new domestic political realities and an evolving security environment.
Half the Upper House's 242 seats were at stake. By Sunday night, the healthy majority of 133 seats held by the LDP and its coalition partners had shrunk to 103. The opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) established itself as the largest party in the Upper House. The results reversed the positions of the two leading parties. The ballot marks the first time the LDP has been beaten in an election by a single opposition party since the LDP was formed in 1955.