Tokyo: Voting for Japan's Upper House election began on Sunday at some 44,000 polling stations across the country, giving an opportunity to voters to pass judgment on Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's administration.
According to Kuwait News Agency, attention is focused on whether the ruling coalition, made up of Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the minor Komeito Party, can secure at least 50 seats to maintain its majority in the 248-seat upper chamber. The LDP-Komeito coalition lost its majority in the more powerful Lower House last October, intensifying the stakes in this election.
Half of the seats in the Upper House come up for election every three years for a six-year term. This year, a total of 522 persons filed their candidacy with 125 of the upper chamber's 248 seats up for grabs. Of these, 75 seats are contested in prefecture-based constituencies and 50 through proportional representation.
Focal issues include economic measures to counter inflation, such as a consumption tax cut and responses to US President Donald Trump's tariffs. These issues have dominated the election discourse, challenging the ruling coalition to present viable solutions to the electorate.
About 101 million Japanese citizens aged 18 or older are eligible to vote across Japan until polling stations close by 8 p.m. local time. Vote counting will begin immediately after the polls close, with full results expected by Monday morning.