Exit polls in the Japanese elections are predicting a devastating defeat for the ruling Liberal Democrat Party. The main opposition party is expected to win 59 of the 121 seats up for grabs in the country's upper chamber.
The election is the first nationwide test of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's 10 months in power and threatens to force a humiliating resignation. The Liberal Democrat Party will still retain control of the more powerful lower house, but losing the majority in the upper chamber risks legislative paralysis. Scandals over pension payments and gaffes from senior ministers have left voters angry. Shinzo Abe says he intends to stay in his job and continue with reforms.