TOKYO: Japan’s ruling coalition parties are set to win a majority in a July 10 election for the upper house of parliament, with the main opposition party failing to pick up support from voters worried about rising prices, a major poll showed.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner Komeito were together likely to secure 65-80 of the 125 seats up for grabs, the Yomiuri newspaper said, citing a national poll of about 61,000 people conducted from Friday in cooperation with the Nikkei newspaper.
While the upper chamber holds less power, a convincing victory would allow Kishida to put off another election test for as long as three years and avoid the “revolving door” so many of his predecessors have passed through.
The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party is not expected to make major gains that would eat into the ruling bloc’s majority.
It’s forecast to win 13-24 seats, while the conservative opposition Japan Innovation Party is expected to follow close behind on 11-19 seats, the paper said. Elections for half the seats in the 248-seat house take place every three years.
Going into the vote, surveys have shown anxiety over inflation have undermined strong support for Kishida’s government. — Bloomberg
