Japanese House of Representatives Election Commences

Voting has begun for the Japanese House of Representatives election, with 1,284 candidates vying for 465 seats. According to RTHK, these seats include 289 from single-member districts and 176 from proportional representation. In single-member districts, voters directly cast their votes for candidates, with the highest vote-getter winning the seat. In proportional representation districts, voters cast their votes for political parties, and seats are allocated to parties based on the proportion of votes received. The focus of public attention is whether the ruling coalition, composed of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Restoration Party, will secure a majority of the seats in this election. The House of Representatives was officially dissolved on the 23rd of last month, marking the shortest period between dissolution and voting since the end of World War II, with only 16 days separating the two events.