In Japan, the ruling party's defeat in recent upper house elections raises the likelihood that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will eventually be removed from office, even if not immediately. It will also worsen domestic policy gridlock and could weaken Tokyo's position in trade talks with Washington. On July 20, Japanese citizens voted to fill 125 out of 248 seats up for election in the House of Councillors, the upper house of Japan's parliament, the Diet. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), a conservative umbrella party, won just 39 seats (a loss of 13), while its minor coalition partner Komeito won just 8 seats (a loss of 6). Combined with upper house seats not up for election, this puts the ruling coalition at just 122 seats, leaving it three seats shy of a majority. Among Japan's several opposition parties, right-wing groups took the lion's share of seats lost by the LDP-Komeito coalition,...
