Key points
- Over 500 candidates are contesting for a seat in electoral districts
- Ishiba’s coalition currently holds 75 seats
- It needs to win at least 50 seats to maintain majority
ISLAMABAD: Voters in Japan are headed to polling stations Sunday to elect 125 lawmakers to the upper house of parliament, in a crucial test for the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
According to local media, the upper chamber has 248 seats, with half up for grabs every three years.
This year, 125 are contested, including one vacancy — a now-former lawmaker who was elected in 2022.
More than 500 candidates are vying for a seat in electoral districts, or by proportional representation.
AFP reported that Ishiba’s centre-right Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has governed Japan almost continuously since 1955, albeit with frequent changes of leader.
Ruling coalition
According to local media reports, the ruling coalition, comprising Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior partner Komeito, currently holds 75 seats, but to maintain a majority in the upper house, it needs to win at least 50 seats from the 125 up for grabs.
The last time the LDP lost its majority in the upper House was 2007. The election is taking place under the spotlight of key issues, including rising prices, regional security, ties with the US, foreign policy as well as the future of the country’s strained social security system.
In his last day efforts to shore up support for his party, Ishiba told voters: “If politicians only care about what happens now and themselves, this country will cease to exist.”
“We must protect Japan whatever it takes because the next six years are going to be the most difficult ones for Japan and the world,” he said in Tokyo.
