Millions Vote Sunday in Japan’s Key Upper House Election
(MENAFN) Millions of Japanese voters will cast their ballots this Sunday to choose 125 members for the House of Councilors, the upper chamber of parliament, a vote critical to sustaining Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s minority government.
The House of Councilors comprises 248 members who serve six-year terms, with elections held every three years to renew half the seats. This election will fill the standard 124 seats plus one additional vacancy.
More than 104 million registered voters are eligible to participate in the July 20 election, held from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time (2200 GMT Saturday to 1100 GMT Sunday). A total of 519 candidates are competing for these seats.
Early voting between July 4 and 13 has already seen approximately 9.8 million ballots cast, representing about 9.48% of registered voters.
Voters will make two selections: one for 75 directly elected constituency seats and another for 50 seats allocated via proportional representation.
Ballots, distributed at polling stations, require voters to write the name of their preferred candidate in the electoral district before choosing a party or candidate for proportional representation.
The ruling coalition, made up of Prime Minister Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior partner Komeito, currently holds 75 seats. To retain control of the upper house, the coalition must secure at least 50 of the 125 seats contested.
Campaigning kicked off on July 3, with major topics including inflation, regional security, U.S. relations, foreign policy, and the future of Japan’s challenged social security system.
Since losing its lower house majority in October’s election, the LDP-Komeito coalition has operated as a minority government, relying on smaller opposition parties for support.
Pre-election polls indicate a closely fought contest. Media outlets report the LDP is lagging, suggesting the coalition could lose its grip on the upper house.
Election outcomes are anticipated late Sunday.
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