Japan’s Ruling Coalition Faces Challenge in Retaining Lower House Majority: Poll
Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, may struggle to maintain their majority in the upcoming House of Representatives election, according to a recent survey by local media.
Kyodo News conducted a two-day telephone survey, targeting around 190,000 eligible voters, and incorporated additional data for its projections. With more than 20 percent of respondents still undecided, the political landscape could shift ahead of the October 27 election, as reported by Xinhua.
Of the 465 seats in the lower house, 289 are allocated to directly elected representatives from single-seat constituencies, while 176 will be filled through a proportional representation system that divides the country into 11 constituencies.
The LDP is facing difficulties in both types of elections due to a high-profile slush fund scandal involving numerous party members who failed to properly report funds raised through political activities.
In contrast, the main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, led by former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, is gaining support.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, heading the LDP, aims to retain at least 233 seats for the coalition to maintain a majority in the Diet chamber he dissolved earlier this month. If the LDP loses its majority, it will mark the first significant defeat for the party since 2009.
As of October 9, when the lower house was dissolved, the LDP held 256 seats. Combined with Komeito, the ruling coalition controlled 288 seats, giving them significant power in the chamber.
