Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru said his party’s coalition would seek to remain in power, despite the blow suffered in the Lower House elections.

Ishiba said: “We received exceptionally harsh judgment from the public. It is deeply regrettable that our LDP, as well as our coalition partner Komeito, have lost many valuable members. We must humbly and solemnly accept this result, reflect sincerely and work towards a complete revival of our party.

The Liberal Democratic Party won 191 seats, well below the 247 it had before the elections. Its coalition partner, Komeito, won 24 seats. Together, the two parties fell short of the 233 seats they needed for a majority. This had been the benchmark for Ishiba’s victory.

The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan won 148 seats. And the People’s Democratic Party got four times what it got before the race.

Ishiba has pledged to introduce major reforms to regain public trust. He also said he would try to work with other parties in the House.

Ishiba said: “We are not considering instantly forming a new coalition at this stage. I think we need to start by discussing how to present each party’s policies with a humble attitude. trust with other parties, so that people have confidence in us and that we work together for the good of the people. This is a responsibility that we must shoulder as the party that won the most votes.

However, the CDP, the largest opposition party, is also courting other camps to counter the coalition. The Lower House will vote to elect the prime minister in the coming weeks.