The Liberal Democratic Party-led ruling coalition lost seats but managed to retain a solid majority in the House of Representatives in the general election Sunday, while the Democratic Party of Japan captured the most seats ever for an opposition force.

With vote-counting completed, the LDP, led by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, had lost its simple majority in the 480-seat Lower House, although the LDP-led triumvirate was able to keep control of the chamber.

On the other hand, the DPJ, the largest opposition party, scored big gains from its pre-election strength of 137 seats.