Tarnished Abe Plunged Into Crisis After Tokyo Election Loss
- LDP loses more than half its seats in falling to record low
- Loss to upstart party comes as scandals erode support for Abe
What Abe’s LDP Loss Means for the Bank of Japan
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Scandal-hit Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe faces one of his biggest tests since coming to power in late 2012, after his ruling party lost to an upstart outfit in an election for Tokyo’s assembly.
The Liberal Democratic Party lost more than half its seats to end up with 23, the lowest number ever in the capital, in a vote that could be a harbinger for national elections. Voter turnout was up about eight percentage points on the previous poll four years ago.