TOKYO, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Japan's ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komeito has retained a comfortable majority of the lower house seats following Sunday's general election, according to final results early Monday morning.
Led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the LDP secured 261 seats, taking a majority of the 465-seat lower house on its own, with its partner Komeito occupying 32 seats.
A majority of seats in the powerful chamber of parliament enables the ruling bloc to effectively control all standing committees and steer the legislative process.
The LDP, which previously held 276 seats on its own before the general election, lost some seats to opposition parties, reflecting that the prime minister may have failed to win strong support for his COVID-19, economic and national security policies.
Kishida, who has said he will claim victory if the ruling coalition retains a majority, said on Sunday evening that the outcome gives him "a valuable public mandate" to govern.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service