Shigeru Ishiba likes the nitty gritty of policy and making military models, but his dream job as Japanese prime minister looked at risk of coming unstuck on Sunday.Seen as a safe pair of hands, he won the party leadership in September,

The Liberal Democratic Party, already in a minority in the lower house since last October's snap election, faces mounting public discontent over inflation, political scandals, and a surge in anti-immigration sentiment.

Opinion polls suggest Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party may fall short of a majority in Upper House elections.

Japanese voters headed to the polls on Sunday in a tightly contested election amid public frustration over rising prices and the imminent threat of US tariffs. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior coalition partner Komeito need to secure a combined 50 seats to retain an overall majority in the upper house but the latest polling shows they might fall short.

Japanese were voting Sunday for seats in the smaller of Japan's two parliamentary houses in a key election with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his ruling coalition facing a possible defeat that could worsen the country's political instability.

Japanese voters are participating in a crucial upper house election that could determine the fate of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's leadership amidst rising inflation and trade tensions with the US.

Japanese voters faced a crucial upper house election that could destabilize Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's administration. Rising prices and immigration issues challenge his leadership. The Liberal Democratic Party risks losing control,