Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba takes a seat at the Lower House election center in the Liberal Democratic Party's headquarters on Oct. 27. (Takeshi Iwashita)

The ruling coalition is certain to lose its majority in the Lower House, as voters on Oct. 27 punished the long-dominant Liberal Democratic Party over its “money in politics” scandal.

It will be the first time for the LDP-Komeito coalition to lose its majority in the 465-seat chamber since 2009, when it was ousted from power by the now-defunct Democratic Party of Japan.

Before the vote, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is LDP president, said the victory bar is winning a majority, or 233 seats, between the two partners.

The responsibility of Ishiba, who has been prime minister for less than a month, will be called into question.

The coalition parties held a combined 279 seats before campaigning started on Oct. 15, including 247 by the LDP and 32 by junior coalition partner Komeito.

The parties are projected to lose at least 47 seats.

The LDP entered the election mired in scandal.

Party lawmakers were found to have failed to properly report large amounts of proceeds from fund-raising parties held by their intraparty factions.

Then Prime Minister Fumio Kishida effectively stepped down over the scandal and what critics said was his party’s weak response to prevent a recurrence.

All political parties fought the election with political reform as a major issue to address flaws that emerged through the scandal.

Forty-six scandal-tainted LDP politicians were candidates in single-seat constituencies, including 12 who ran as independents because many were denied official party endorsements for their roles in the scandal.

Ishiba previously said the LDP may endorse those 12 candidates if they are elected and include them in the number of seats won by the ruling coalition.

But the LDP-Komeito coalition is expected to fall short of a majority in the Lower House even if those non-endorsed candidates are included into the fold.

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