Japan's 27th House of Councilors election concluded on Monday morning with a stunning defeat for the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its partner Komeito.
Of the seats contested, the LDP won just 39 (27 through electoral districts and 12 through proportional representation), while Komeito secured eight.
Even when combined with their uncontested seats, the two parties fell short of the 125-seat threshold required for a majority in the 248-seat upper house, marking the first time since the LDP's founding in 1955 that the ruling bloc has lost majority control in both houses of parliament.
The election outcome revealed the ruling parties' widespread struggles, including poor showings in key urban districts and traditional rural strongholds.
The defeat follows earlier losses in the 2024 lower house election and the 2025 Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election, deepening the crisis for the LDP-led government.
While the opposition remains fragmented, several parties made significant gains. The Constitutional Democratic Party secured 22 seats, the Democratic Party for the People took 17, and the emerging Sanseito party captured 14.
The Ishiba administration now faces mounting pressure. With both chambers under minority control, it must seek cooperation from opposition parties to pass legislation and advance its agenda.
Japan's ruling coalition suffers setback in upper house election
The "soft landing" of the China-EU electric vehicle case will greatly boost market confidence and inject new momentum into China-EU cooperation in automobile trade and investment, a spokeswoman of the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said at a press briefing in Beijing on Thursday.
He Yongqian, the spokeswoman, made the remarks after China and the European Union (EU) agreed on the necessity of providing general guidance on price undertakings for Chinese companies exporting battery electric vehicle (BEV) passenger cars to the EU.
"China and the EU simultaneously announced on Monday that they had achieved positive outcomes following multiple rounds of consultations on the EV case, a development that has drawn wide attention at home and abroad. Industry players from both sides have 'highly welcomed and fully endorsed' the outcome, saying the 'soft landing' of the case is expected to greatly boost market confidence and inject new momentum into China-EU cooperation in automobile trade and investment. Some EU politicians have described it as a positive step toward building a sustainable China-EU trade relationship, and said it demonstrated that resolving trade differences through partnership remains feasible," she said.
"Against the current international backdrop, China and the EU, acting in a spirit of mutual respect and within the framework of WTO rules, have properly addressed the EV case, which is of significant positive importance. The outcome will not only contribute to the sound development of China-EU economic and trade ties and help safeguard the stability of the global automotive industrial and supply chains, but will also send a clear and strong signal that both sides are willing to uphold a rules-based international trading order, setting a good example for countries to resolve differences through dialogue and consultation and injecting greater certainty and positive energy into global economic growth," she said.
"China appreciates the spirit of dialogue showed by the EU side and stands ready to work with the EU, building on the current positive outcomes, to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two sides, maintain dialogue and communication, and support stable industrial and supply chains on both sides, continue to deepen cooperation on the basis of market principles, and make active contributions to the global green transition," she added.
"Soft landing" of China-EU EV case to significantly boost market confidence: MOC spokeswoman
"Soft landing" of China-EU EV case to significantly boost market confidence: MOC spokeswoman
