Japan's Upper House Election Begins, Ishiba's Position in Jeopardy
The Japanese Upper House election started voting at 7 a.m. local time on Sunday (July 20), according to AFP, which reported that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba faces a reckoning with voters, and this election could end his tenure as prime minister and allow a right-wing populist party to gain seats.
Many Japanese people have been suffering from rising prices, especially rice prices. Polls before the election show that Ishiba's ruling coalition may lose its majority in the Upper House.
This could be the last straw for Ishiba. His Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its ruling ally, the Komeito Party, had only recently lost their majority in the Lower House elections last year, becoming a minority.
Professor Tetsu Yoshida of Doshisha University told AFP: "Shigeru Ishiba may need to step down."
Yoshida also believes that Japan may "enter an unknown situation where the ruling government holds a minority in both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors, something Japan has never experienced since World War II," he said.
According to Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on the 19th, over 21.45 million people had already cast their votes in the Upper House election by the 18th, setting a new record.
The Japanese Upper House has a total of 248 seats. Councillors serve six-year terms, with half of the seats up for election every three years. This election will focus on the 124 seats up for re-election and one additional seat in the Tokyo district, totaling 125 seats.
The number of non-renewable Upper House members from the ruling LDP and Komeito is 75. For the ruling party to secure a majority in the Upper House, it needs to win at least 50 seats in this Upper House election.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1838126631386122/
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