(MENAFN) On Sunday, voters across Japan began casting their votes to select 125 members for the upper chamber of parliament, marking a significant challenge for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s minority-led ruling alliance.

This election serves as a vital assessment of public support for his administration.

More than 104 million citizens in Japan are qualified to vote for representatives in the House of Councilors, which forms the upper part of the National Diet, or legislative body.

Among the contested positions, only 75 seats are being filled through direct constituency races, while the other 50 will be chosen based on proportional representation.

By 10 a.m. local time (0100GMT), the turnout had reached 6.62%, reflecting a 0.45 percentage point rise from the 2022 upper house election, according to data from the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, cited by a news outlet.

Voting is scheduled to end at 8 p.m. (1100GMT), with results expected to be released later the same evening.

Early participation has been notable, with a record 21.4 million individuals — 20.58% of all eligible voters — having already submitted their ballots by Friday through the early voting system.

Currently, the governing coalition, consisting of Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its smaller ally Komeito, occupies 75 seats.

To preserve their majority in the upper house, they must secure at least 50 out of the 125 available positions.

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