The lower house rejected a motion of no confidence in the Kishida government

The lower house on Thursday rejected a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s cabinet amid widespread dissatisfaction with the Liberal Democratic Party-led government and dismal approval ratings.

A motion introduced earlier in the day by the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan was rejected by the LDP and its junior coalition partner Komeito, who together hold a majority in the chamber.

“The LDP bribery issue has stagnated national politics. The Kishida government clearly bears responsibility for this,” CDP leader Kenta Izumi said on Thursday, describing the government as incompetent and pointing to its unpopularity among voters.