International

The ruling coalition in Japan loses its majority for the first time since 2009

The ruling coalition of Japan formed by the Liberal Democratic Party (PLD) of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and the Buddhist force Komeito has lost its parliamentary majority in the general elections, as confirmed by the election results on Monday.

These two forces suffered a resounding defeat by obtaining as a whole of 215 seats in the elections held the day before, below the majority of the 233 that mark the majority in the Lower House of the Diet (Parliament) of Japan.

The conservative PLD of Ishiba took 191 seats, a sharp drop compared to the 256 it had from the previous 2021 elections, while Komeito won 24.8 less, according to the count of results collected today by the state chain NHK and in the absence of the final official figures being announced.

PDC, the big winner of the elections in Japan

The great winner of the elections has been the progressive Constitutional Democratic Party (PDC) of Yoshihiko Noda, the main force of the opposition, which has increased its parliamentary representation from 98 seats to 148.

This is the first time since 2009 that the PLD loses in elections the majority sufficient to govern, either alone or with its traditional coalition partner.

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These results open a period of great political uncertainty for Japan. Both the Ishiba PLD and the Noda PDC have expressed their willingness to seek possible alliances that allow them to govern, although for now they have ruled out any option of doing it together.

Electoral punishment for the government party

The electoral punishment that the PLD has fit is attributed above all to the succession of scandals in which it has been involved in recent years, the most recent of them a series of cases of irregular financing of its parliamentarians that led to the resignation last month of the previous prime minister, Fumio Kishida.

Ishiba won his party’s primaries and campaigned for these generals with the slogan of “respecting the rules” and promoting the principles of honesty and transparency, but this message does not seem to have convinced voters.

The PLD “has not been able to gain the trust” of citizens and “has been tried severely,” said the current prime minister the day before when he learned of the projections that drew a gloomy panorama for its formation.

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International

Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka

Japanese police arrested a man on Thursday after he rammed his car into a group of seven schoolchildren in an apparent deliberate attack in the city of Osaka.

The children, who were on their way home from school, sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital. All seven remained conscious, according to local authorities.

An Osaka police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspect is a 28-year-old man from Tokyo. The officer shared statements the man made after his arrest: “I was fed up with everything, so I decided to kill people by driving into several elementary school children,” the suspect reportedly said.

The man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

The injured children, aged between seven and eight, included a seven-year-old girl who suffered a fractured jaw. The six other children—all boys—suffered minor injuries such as bruises and scratches and were undergoing medical evaluation.

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Witnesses described the car as “zigzagging” before hitting the children. One witness told Nippon TV that a girl was “covered in blood” and the others appeared to have scratches.

Another witness said the driver, who was wearing a face mask, looked to be in shock when school staff pulled him from the vehicle.

Violent crimes are rare in Japan, though serious incidents do occur from time to time. In 2008, Tomohiro Kato drove a two-ton truck into pedestrians in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, then fatally stabbed several victims. Seven people were killed in that attack.

Internacionales

Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages

May Day protests in France were marked by a heavy police presence and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in several cities.

In Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, thousands took to the streets to demand better wages, fairer working conditions, and to voice their dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron’s government.

While the majority of the demonstrations remained peaceful, isolated confrontations broke out in some areas. Protesters threw objects at the police, prompting the use of tear gas and resulting in several arrests.

Videos showing police crackdowns circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from labor unions and human rights advocates, who denounced the authorities’ response to the protests.

International

Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.

During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.

“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.

“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”

Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.

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On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.