In a devastating blow to ruling coalition partner Komeito, Keiichi Ishii, who was elected party president just one month ago, failed to secure a seat in parliament — creating a leadership crisis for the party and questions about its future direction.
Ishii, who did not stand for proportional representation, fell short in his bid to win a Saitama district seat, while the center-right opposition Democratic Party for the People’s Yoshihiro Suzuki, 61, won by picking up votes from Liberal Democratic Party’s supporters and nonaffiliated voters.
The final tally was about 70,600 votes for Suzuki but only around 60,200 for Ishii, who indicated Monday that he is likely to resign as Komeito chief.
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.