AP Explains: What does a shocking parliamentary loss for Japan’s long-ruling party mean?

Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s long-reigning coalition lost a majority in the parliamentary election, underscoring voters’ outrage over the party’s extensive financial scandals. It’s largely a reflection of voters’ anger at the repeated financial scandals that have hit the Liberal Democratic Party, which has ruled Japan nearly without interruption since 1955. The prime minister said at a news conference Monday he won’t step down and that his task is to work harder to push for political reform, improve the economy and regain people’s trust. What does this mean for Ishiba and his one-month-old government? The Associated Press explains.