People across Japan are ready to have their say at the polls. On Sunday, they will decide which lawmakers fill the Diet’s powerful Lower House.
A political fundraising scandal is testing their faith in the main ruling party. And many voters are struggling to cope with inflation.
There are 465 seats up for grabs, and more than 1,300 candidates. The candidates were seen across the nation on Saturday making their final appeals to the public.
The benchmark for a Lower House majority is 233 seats. The ruling coalition went into the election with 279.
Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru says he’ll consider it a victory if the Liberal Democratic Party and junior partner Komeito secure a majority. Noda Yoshihiko, who heads the largest opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, wants to stop that from happening.
There are about 45,000 polling stations nationwide. Vote counting begins at 8 PM on Sunday.