It appears unlikely that Japan's ruling parties will achieve their goal of maintaining a majority in the House of Councillors in the current election.
On July 20, Japanese public broadcaster NHK announced the results of a joint exit poll conducted with Yomiuri Shimbun and Nippon TV after voting ended at 8 p.m. that day.
According to NHK, of the 125 seats up for election, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is projected to win between 27 and 41 seats, while its coalition partner Komeito is expected to win between 5 and 12 seats. This means the combined seats for the LDP and Komeito are projected to be between 32 and 53, making it difficult for the ruling coalition to secure 50 seats.
This election serves as a midterm evaluation of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's cabinet. For the LDP and Komeito to maintain a majority, at least 50 candidates from the ruling coalition must be elected.
Members of the House of Councillors serve six-year terms, with a total of 248 seats. Elections are held every three years for half of the seats, and this election is to fill 125 seats, including one vacancy.
Before this election, the LDP and Komeito held 52 and 14 of the contested seats, respectively. Of the remaining 123 seats not up for election, the ruling coalition holds 75 seats.
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