Voters in Japan handed the country's ruling party a major loss when they cast their ballots for the upper house of Japan's parliament on Sunday. Early indications are that the Liberal Democratic Party will fall well short of the 64 seats needed to keep control of the upper house. It was a sharp rebuke for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government. Catherine Makino reports from Tokyo.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bites his lips after learning the return of the upper house elections at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo, 29 Jul 2007

Mr. Abe tells journalists he will fulfill his obligations to the people and that he will not dissolve his Cabinet but that some ministers might change.

He also says he will focus on building up the nation.

But analysts say the loss could force his Liberal Democratic Party to make compromises if the government wants to enact legislation.

After early returns Sunday evening indicated a defeat for the LDP and its coalition partner, Hironori Seko, the LDP spokesman in the upper house, said he understood the voters' message.

Seko says the LDP accepts its huge loss and takes it very seriously. He says that while he was campaigning, he heard many people say they want change, and they especially complained about the economy.

Mr. Seko won the race for his seat.

The losses signal a backlash against Mr. Abe's agenda, which includes revising the constitution and creating a more patriotic educational system. He became prime minister last September after winning an election for control of the LDP.

Analysts say Sunday's election shows voter outrage at the government's blunder in losing 50 million pension records, leaving people worried about their retirement funds. Mr. Abe was also hit by scandals involving his ministers, which led three of them to resign and one to commit suicide. Voters are also angry that improvements in the economy have yet to help average workers.

However, the bad showing will not immediately end the ruling party's reign, because it has a majority in the more powerful lower house. The upper house does not select the prime minister.

Half of the 242 seats in the upper house were up for election Sunday. Full results in all the races are expected early Monday.