Japan's ruling coalition keeps majority in parliamentary elections

Japan's ruling coalition led by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Sunday secured a majority in the parliamentary elections, exit polls showed.

Premier Fumio Kishida's LDP and its junior coalition ally Komeito secured at least 233 of 465 seats in parliament, according to exit polls by Kyodo News.

Meanwhile, the opposition Japan Innovation Party will add 11 seats in parliament. Ichiro Matsui's Japan Innovation Party agrees with the LDP on some issues, including constitutional reform, Kyodo News reported.

The announcement of elections came amid the COVID-19 pandemic and rising oil prices with the premier directing his Cabinet "to keep close tabs on the latest trends in the crude oil market, and investigate the impact that is likely to have on industries and businesses, not to mention our own wallets."