What happened?
On 31 October, Japan conducted its 49th general election. The new Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's coalition secured a safe and comfortable majority in the Parliament. Kishida's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) claimed 261 seats in the 465-member lower house. The LDP's junior coalition partner Komeito won 32 seats, together with sharing 291 seats in the lower house. The center-left Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), the biggest opposition group saw its fall by 13 seats to 96.

On 1 November, Fumio Kishida said, "It was a very tough election, but the people's will — that they want us to create this country's future under the stable LDP- Komeito government and the Kishida administration — was shown." He further added "We received a precious 261 seats for the LDP. As a responsible party ... we will meet the public mandate."

What is the background?
First, the LDP continues to hold the reins of Japanese politics. Since the 1950s, the LDP has governed Japan without interruption and only lost a lower house election in 2009. The general expectations of the 2021 elections were that the LDP would lose a considerable number of seats. Earlier, during the Shinzo Abe regime, the ruling coalition of LDP and Komeito party had a two-thirds of a supermajority in the lower house, creating a strong foundation. Despite two changes of prime minister and the widespread dissatisfaction over how the LDP-led government handled the COVID-19 pandemic, they barely affected the election results. This proves LDP's staunch voter base.

Second, the slipping of power from the LDP. Among the Japanese political faces, Shinzo Abe is the premier. The recent growing aversion from Abe's policies due to the many scandals in 2020 brought in Fumio Kishida as the new party leader and Prime Minister. This generational shift within the LDP has altered the internal dynamics within the factions. The rise of young leaders across all the parties has drastically changed the political diet of Japan.

Third, the lack of stronger opposition. The Japanese voters have always been clear advocates of stability in the face of a worsening regional security environment and ongoing economic hurdles. Even though the public often signaled their dissatisfaction with the Abe government, the lack of a better alternative pulls them back to LDP. On the other hand, the opposition faces challenges in terms of organizing itself, gathering funds, and most importantly winning the elections.

What does it mean?
First, Kishida's first public test. This is the first test for Kishida who took over as the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party in October and became the party leader and prime minister. The new government will face the task of steering the world's third-largest economy battered by the coronavirus, tackling a very fast-aging and slumping population and major security challenges from China and North Korea.

Second, the question of stability or the return to a revolving door. A weakened LDP majority in the elections could possibly mean further losses in the upcoming upper house elections. While the LDP has been in power almost continuously, only five politicians in the course of eight decades have hung on to the prime minister's post for more than five years or longer. A poor showing of the LDP power in the electorate could encourage and embolden Fumio Kishida's rivals within the party. Thus, threatening Japan to once again return to an era of short-lived government administrations.