On the 20th local time, Japanese media released an exit poll showing that the ruling coalition consisting of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito Party will likely secure fewer than 50 seats in this year’s Japan Senate election.
The ruling coalition is expected to lose control of more than half of the Senate seats.
The 27th session of the Japanese Senate election began at 7 a.m. local time on the 20th, with 522 candidates vying for 125 seats. The Senate has a total of 248 seats, with members serving six years and being reelected every three years. This election will elect 125 seats, including 124 regular seats and one additional seat for a by-election.
The ruling coalition, composed of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito Party, aims to maintain at least half of the Senate seats.
With a combined 75 seats in non-reelected positions, it means they need to secure at least 50 seats.
In the House of Representatives elections held last October, the ruling coalition of the two parties failed to secure more than half of the seats, becoming a minority government. If they fail again in the Senate election, losing their majority position, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s path to power will become even more challenging. (CCTV He Xinlei)