TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th July, 2022) The ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito party is leading in the election to the upper house of the Japanese parliament, the NHK broadcaster reported on Sunday, citing exit polls.
According to the NHK, the voting began at 07:00 local time (22:00 GMT, Saturday) and ended at 20:00 (11:00 GMT) at 1,700 polling places throughout the country. Two hours before the end of the voting, the turnout was estimated at 27.38%, with some 16.12 million people, or around 15% of all voters, having cast their ballots in an early voting.
Elections to the Japanese upper house are held every three years, with half of the deputies being reelected.
In the current election, 545 candidates from 15 parties are running for 125 seats, with 50 deputies being elected according to party lists. In total, 178 candidates announced their intention to take part in the election.
The ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party, led by incumbent Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and the Komeito party are expected to win the majority of seats in the 248-seat chamber, according to the Kyodo news pol published earlier in the week.
