Japan’s election: Prime Minister Abe’s party suffers humiliating defeat in Tokyo election

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) suffered a humiliating and historic defeat in an election held in Japan’s capital on Sunday. Tokyo metropolitan assembly election is not likely to have an impact on the national level but such a dismal performance might indicate that the support for Prime Minister Abe and his controversial agendas like changing the country’s pacifist constitution drafted after World War II is losing support. It also indicates according to analysts, a decline in Prime Minister Abe’s approval rating in the wake of the favoritism scandal. Abe's troubles center on concern he may have intervened to help Kake Gakuen (Kake Educational Institution) win approval for a veterinary school in a special economic zone. Its director, Kotaro Kake, is a friend of Abe's. The government has not granted such an approval in decades due to a perceived glut of veterinarians. Abe and his aides have denied doing Kake any favors.

In 127-seats assembly, Shinzo Abe’s LDP won just 23 seats, the party's worst showing ever and compared to the 57 seats before the election. The opposition Tokyo First Citizen Party took 79 seats. The humiliating defeat has not only energized the opposition Party but also revitalized the critics within LDP.

The Japanese yen is down in trading during Asian hours. The yen is currently trading at 112.6 per dollar, down 0.15 percent so far today.