JN Lower House Elections

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner Komeito were heavily defeated in the country's election on 27 October, and this is likely to leave the country's energy policy in limbo, especially for nuclear power. The LDP's first defeat in 15 years means no single party holds the majority of seats to govern parliament now. Forming a fresh alliance, if not a coalition government, would be essential for any party, but depending on who teams up with whom, the country's energy policy could deviate from its ...

The yen sank to a three-month low in the lower 153 zone against the U.S. dollar early Monday amid political uncertainty in Japan after the country's ruling coalition lost its majority in the general election the previous day. Tokyo stocks opened lower but turned higher in early trading, tracking a rise late last week of the technology-heavy Nasdaq index, while exporter issues were boosted by the yen's decline. At 9 a.m., the dollar fetched 152.95-96 yen compared with 152.27-37 yen in New York and 151.94-96 yen in Tokyo at 5 p.m. ...

In a surprising turn of events, Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner are set to lose their majority in Sunday’s election, according to a forecast from public broadcaster NHK, raising questions about the future of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Amid voter discontent over a slush-fund scandal, not to mention Japan's worst runaway inflation in generations, the LDP and Komeito appear likely to fall short of the 233 seats needed for a majority in the lower house of parliament, NHK forecasts. Ishiba had aimed ...

Japan voted on Sunday in its tightest election in years, with new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his juggernaut Liberal Democratic Party facing potentially their worst result since 2009. Opinion surveys suggest the conservative LDP and its junior coalition partner risk falling short of a majority, a result that could deal a knockout blow to Ishiba. The 67-year-old former defence minister took office and called a snap election after being narrowly selected last month to lead the LDP, which has governed Japan for almost all of the ...

The dollar rose against all the G10 currencies last week, but it was not because of higher US rates. In fact, the 10-year US Treasury yield fell for the first time in five weeks. The two-year yield did not rise for the first time in three weeks. Rather than an increase in US rates, several other countries' rates fell. The result was that the US 2-year premium over Germany rose for the fourth consecutive week and is now the most since June. The US premium over Canada rose for the third week and the sixth week in the past seven. It is ...

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba dissolved the lower house of parliament on Wednesday (Oct 9) ahead of the Oct 27 snap elections, banking on his political honeymoon and a fragmented opposition to lead his scandal-tainted party to victory. Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has governed Japan almost uninterrupted for decades - albeit with frequent leader changes - and is almost certain to be re-elected. But Ishiba, named prime minister just last week, wants to shore up his mandate to push through policies that include ...