TOKYO: The pair of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito apparently failed to win a majority of the 127 seats, or 64 seats, in the closely watched election for the Tokyo metropolitan assembly on Sunday.

The result is expected to deal a blow to the administration of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, also LDP president, as the latest poll has been regarded as a precursor to the next election for the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, which must be held by this autumn.

Regional party Tomin First no Kai (Tokyoites first group), for which Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike serves as special adviser, is seen to have reduced its presence in the assembly while the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the top opposition party on the national level, is believed to have increased its seats.

Tomin First was the biggest force in the Tokyo assembly before the election. Voting in the poll ended at 8 p.m. (11 a.m. GMT).

Taimei Yamaguchi, the LDP’s election strategy chief, told reporters Sunday night, “Unfortunately, it now looks certain that the LDP and Komeito failed to win a majority of seats.” In the previous Tokyo assembly election four years ago, the LDP suffered a major setback.

As of 11:45 p.m., 19 candidates from the LDP, 13 from Komeito, 23 from Tomin First, nine from the CDP and 13 from the Japanese Communist Party were seen to have secured seats in Sunday’s election.

As Tomin First retreated in the election and other parties increased seats, Koike is expected to face increasing difficulties managing the Tokyo metropolitan government.

Major issues in the election included responses to the novel coronavirus epidemic and whether this summer’s Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, which were postponed from last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, should be held as scheduled despite concerns over a rebound in infection cases in the Japanese capital.

The LDP fielded at least one candidate in each of the 42 electoral districts, with the total number of its candidates standing at 60.

The party revived its cooperation with Komeito, which teamed up with Tomin First in the 2017 Tokyo assembly election. During the campaign period for the latest election, LDP executives and Suga cabinet ministers from the party took to streets to seek voter support.

Tomin First put up 47 candidates, compared with 46 seats it had before the election.

The JCP and the CDP fielded 31 and 28 candidates, respectively. They called for the cancellation or further postponement of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The two parties adjusted candidates mainly in single- and two-seat electoral districts.

JIJI