Voter backlash over inflation lifted the 'Japanese first' Sanseito, whose anti-globalist pitch echoed Donald Trump’s populist playbook.

TOKYO, July 21 (Reuters) - Japan's ruling coalition is certain to lose control of the upper house in Sunday's election, public broadcaster NHK reported , an outcome that further weakens Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's grip on power as a tariff deadline with the United States looms.

Yokohama’s Chinatown is the largest in Japan and is surrounded by 10 ornately decorated gates. It’s tempting to get lost in the maze of dim sum and fortune tellers, under red paper lanterns swinging over tiny alleys. “I love going there for the casual atmosphere,” says Makoto. "Chinatown feels the same as it did when I went 30 years ago.”

Shigeru Ishiba is clinging on to power after the latest rebuke from the electorate. With crucial trade talks on the line, it’s time for him to go.

The ruling LDP coalition may lose its upper house majority.

Japan is heavily investing in a new kind of ultra-thin, flexible solar panel that it hopes will help it meet renewable energy goals while challenging

Shigeru Ishiba of the long-governing Liberal Democratic Party could face calls to resign if his party fares poorly in Sunday’s Upper House elections.

Japan has worked hard to attract foreigners to boost its sluggish economy but now the perception there are too many has prompted the creation of a new task force, as competition for votes heats up ahead of Sunday’s national election.

TOKYO -- The Japanese public voted on Sunday to determine the makeup of the nation's upper house, in a crucial vote for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, whose coalition is fighting to hold on to its majority -- one that it lost in the lower chamber last autumn.