Japanese to elect more than one hundred lawmakers

(MENAFN) Japanese voters went to the polls on Sunday to elect 125 members of the House of Councilors, the upper chamber of the National Diet, in a pivotal test for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s minority government.

Over 104 million citizens are eligible to vote. Of the 125 seats being contested, 75 are constituency seats and 50 are allocated through proportional representation.

As of 10 a.m. local time, voter turnout stood at 6.62%, slightly higher than the same time during the 2022 upper house elections, according to the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry. Early voting was also strong, with a record 21.4 million ballots—roughly 20.58% of the electorate—cast before Friday.

The ruling coalition, made up of Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior partner Komeito, currently holds 75 seats in the chamber. To preserve their majority, they need to secure at least 50 of the 125 seats in this election. The last time the LDP lost control of the upper house was in 2007.

The election takes place amid growing public concern over inflation, national security, Japan’s alliance with the United States, and the long-term sustainability of the country’s strained social security system.

Polling stations will close at 8 p.m. local time, with final results expected later in the evening.

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