TOKYO－Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's Liberal Democratic Party, or LDP, and its allies failed to win outright a local election in Tokyo on Sunday that was seen as a key test of voter sentiment ahead of national polls later this year.

Public broadcaster NHK said the LDP had won 33 seats in Tokyo's 127-member assembly, just ahead of Tokyo Citizens First, the party of Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, with 31 seats. Even with the 23 seats won by its ally Komeito, the LDP still fell short of an outright majority－a target that had been considered within reach.

A total of 271 candidates contested 127 seats in Sunday's ballot. Eligible voters totaled 9.8 million people in the megacity with a population of nearly 14 million.

The result could put pressure on Suga, whose term as LDP president expires at the end of September. The head of the LDP is virtually assured the role of prime minister, given the party's dominance in parliament.

"It appears our seats are likely to be a little bit lower than what we have initially anticipated," Taimei Yamaguchi, chair of LDP's election strategy committee, told NHK.

The Tokyo election came as the capital is preparing to host the Olympic Games while dealing with a COVID-19 resurgence.

With a general election due in October, Suga has staked his political career on successfully holding the Games, which begin on July 23. They were postponed from last year due to the virus. Suga also needs to boost vaccine rollouts.

Mudslide rescue underway

Away from politics, more than 1,000 Japanese rescuers combed through crumbled houses and buried roads on Monday two days after landslides tore through a seaside city, fighting time and poor weather to search for some 80 people believed to be missing.

At least four people have been confirmed dead in Atami after torrential rain over the weekend touched off a succession of landslides, sending torrents of mud and rock ripping through the streets.

Two people were found alive and unharmed on Monday, NHK reported.

By Monday, the number of rescuers at the disaster site had risen to 1,500, officials said.

Suga said police, firefighters and members of the military were doing all they could to help with the search. "We want to rescue as many victims… buried in the rubble as soon as possible," Suga told reporters.

The landslides are a reminder of the natural disasters－including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunami－that haunt Japan.

Agencies via Xinhua