00:00Now, Japan's ruling coalition has lost its majority in the upper house,
00:04but Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba says he has no plans to step down so far.
00:09Speaking on Monday, Ishiba says he must stay on to handle key trade talks with the US
00:14and address economic challenges following a major election setback.
00:22Voters went to the polls on Sunday amid growing frustration over rising prices
00:26and the threat of US tariffs, issues weighing heavily on the Liberal Democratic Party
00:31and its coalition partner, Kometo.
00:34After polls closed, Ishiba said he accepted the result,
00:37adding that he won't expand the coalition but pursue a mutually beneficial trade deal with the US
00:42and work with the opposition to tackle inflation.
00:45Ishiba's LDP, which has dominated Japanese politics for most of the post-war era,
00:50and Kometo won 47 seats, three short of a majority in the 248-seat
00:56upper house.
00:57While the vote doesn't directly determine the fate of Ishiba's minority government,
01:01it pales pressure on the embattled leader,
01:04who already lost control of the more influential lower house in October.
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