Japan election: voters have given a mandate to Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, who took office less than a month ago.
NHK says his Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, Komeito, are certain to secure a majority in the Lower House and will stay in power.
It is not clear if the LDP can hold onto a majority on its own, with some opposition parties eyeing potential gains.
At the LDP headquarters, Prime Minister Kishida placed flowers above the names of candidates projected to win.
As of 10 p.m., the ruling coalition had secured 212 seats and is expected to gain more. A coalition majority is the benchmark the prime minister set for this election.
On its own, the LDP has so far secured 188 seats.
It’s expected to lose some of the 276 it had before the election.
Turning to the opposition camp, the largest opposition Constitutional Democratic Party could add to the 109 seats it had coming into the election.
And another opposition party, Nippon Ishin, is on pace to more than triple its pre-election force of 11.
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