Japan's Liberal Democratic Party yesterday suffered a heavy defeat in Tokyo Municipal Assembly voting, foreshadowing the end of the LDP's half-century hold on national power in the looming general election.

Public broadcaster NHK said the LDP-led coalition had lost its majority in the Tokyo assembly election and that the ruling party had been eclipsed by the Democratic Party of Japan as the single biggest force in the 127-seat council.

The defeat – which saw the LDP win just 38 seats to the DPJ's 54 – piles new pressure on Taro Aso, Japan's prime minister, who has already been facing increasingly open internal revolt from party colleagues who believe he is leading them towards near-certain defeat in a national election that must be held by October.