LDP loses House majority

Calls for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to resign have followed a disastrous poll result for the fledgling leader and his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The July 29 poll for the House of Councillors, or the Upper House of the Japanese Parliament, saw the LDP fall well short of the 64 seats needed to retain majority rule. At the end of the day, the ruling LDP-Komeito coalition won just 47 of the 141 seats contested, with the Opposition coalition party taking 73 seats - a marked improvement on the 40 Upper House seats it previously held. The LDP's massive loss follows a series of ministerial scandals since Mr Abe took over as Prime Minister 10 months ago. Despite losing his grip on the Upper House, Mr Abe has vowed to remain in office.