Tokyo, Oct 29 (UNI) Japanese Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Yasuhiro Ozato has announced his intention to resign following his defeat in Sunday’s lower house elections.
Ozato lost to an opposition candidate in the single-member constituency and also failed to secure reelection through party lists.
“After losing my lawmaker status, I will not be able to perform my ministerial duties,” Ozato was quoted as saying by Japanese news agency Kyodo.
He did not specify the date for his resignation.
The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) secured 191 seats in Sunday’s elections, down from 247, while the Komeito party won 24 seats, down from 32. Opposition parties and independent candidates collectively gained more than half of the lower house seats, winning 250 out of 465 seats. The ruling coalition of the LDP and Komeito now holds 215 seats, less than half of the 233-seat majority. Before the elections, the coalition held 279 seats.
