Japan’s ruling LDP at risk of losing majority in election, Nikkei poll shows

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s ruling party may lose its sole majority in the lower house for the first time in 15 years, the Nikkei newspaper said on Thursday, citing its poll ahead of the Oct. 27 election.

The Liberal Democratic Party may not reach the 233 seats it needs for an outright majority in the 465 seat chamber, Nikkei said, based on polling estimates for directly elected candidates and those chosen by proportional representation.

It would be the first time the LDP did not have sole control of the lower house since 2009. It could still form a coalition government with its long-standing partner Komeito.

The poll, conducted by phone along with the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, was carried out nationwide on Tuesday and Wednesday, garnering 165,820 valid responses, Nikkei said.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba dissolved the lower house of parliament on Oct. 9, setting up the snap election.

Ishiba became leader last month after his predecessor Fumio Kishida ended his three-year premiership due to public distrust stemming from a string of funding scandals involving LDP politicians.

Ishiba made an offering at Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine on Thursday, Kyodo news reported. Past offerings have been protested by South Korea and China due to the shrine’s connections to Japan’s wartime past.

(Reporting by Kantaro Komiya; Editing by Sonali Paul)