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Tokyo
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has vowed to remain in office despite a disastrous performance in Sunday's (Oct 27) parliamentary election.
After becoming the prime minister last month, Ishiba called for the snap election on October 27. However, voters angry at a slush fund scandal punished his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has governed the country almost non-stop since 1955.
Citing projections, a report by the news agency AFP on Monday said that the LDP-led coalition would lose its ruling majority.
Want to fulfill my duty by...: PM Ishiba
Addressing a press conference, Prime Minister Ishiba vowed to stay in office and said he would not allow a political "vacuum." "I want to fulfil my duty by protecting people's lives, protecting Japan," Ishiba told reporters.
Also read | Japan PM Ishiba loses majority in snap election: 'We are receiving severe judgement'
He said the biggest election factor was "people's suspicion, mistrust and anger" over a scandal, which saw LDP figures pocket money from fund-raising events and which helped sink his predecessor Fumio Kishida.
"I will enact fundamental reform regarding the issue of money and politics," Ishiba said and pointed out that voters delivered a severe judgement on the party.
As per the news agency AFP, exit polls reported by Japanese media showed the worst result for the LDP and its junior coalition partner Komeito in 15 years.
They were projected to fall short of Ishiba's stated goal of winning at least 233 seats -- a majority in the 456-member lower house.
Official results of the election are expected later on Monday.
If the exit polls came out to be true, Ishiba could potentially quit, becoming the country's shortest-serving prime minister in the post-war period.
Top LDP leader resigns
On Monday, the LDP's election committee chief, former premier Junichiro Koizumi's son Shinjiro Koizumi, resigned.
With the LDP's election debacle, Ishiba would now seek to head a minority government, with the divided opposition seen as probably incapable of forming a coalition of their own, analysts said.
Also watch | Yen falls to a three-month low following election in Japan
Ishiba said during the press conference that he was not considering a broader coalition at this point.
Ishiba had promised to not actively support LDP politicians caught up in the funding scandal.
But the opposition jumped on media reports that the party has provided 20 million yen ($132,000) each to district offices headed by these figures, who were still standing in the election.
(With inputs from agencies)