Japan’s ruling coalition struggling to retain lower house majority: media poll

TOKYO, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) — Japan’s longtime ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior coalition partner Komeito may lose their majority in the upcoming House of Representatives election, a recent survey conducted by local media showed on Tuesday.
Kyodo News conducted the two-day telephone survey through Monday, targeting around 190,000 eligible voters, and used additional gathered information in making projections.
The situation could change in the run-up to the Oct. 27 election, as more than 20 percent of respondents were still undecided on which candidate to vote for, Kyodo News reported.
Of the 465 lower house seats, 289 will go to directly elected politicians from single-seat constituencies. Another 176 winners will come through a proportional representation system that divides the country into 11 constituencies.
The LDP is struggling in both the single-seat districts and the proportional representation system due to a high-profile slush funds scandal involving dozens of party members failing to properly report funds they had raised through political activities, the report said.
Meanwhile, the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, led by former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, is expanding its support base, it added.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who heads the LDP, has set a modest goal of retaining at least 233 seats for the coalition, enough to maintain a majority in the Diet chamber he dissolved earlier this month.
If the LDP loses its majority there, it would be the first time since 2009 when the party was roundly defeated.
As of Oct. 9, the day of the lower house’s dissolution, the LDP alone had 256 seats. Combined with Komeito, the ruling coalition controlled 288 seats, giving it control over the powerful chamber. ■