Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba insists that he would not step down following the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)’s resounding defeat in the lower house election.

A special Diet session must be held within 30 days of the election to elect the prime minister, as bound by the Constitution. But whether this will again be Mr Ishiba, who had taken office only on Oct 1, is a big question mark.

Walter Sim, Japan Correspondent at The Straits Times, weighs in on the contributing factors of the LDP's poor performance, the impact of the hung Parliament and the challenges for Japan in the days ahead. 

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