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Voting for Japan's Upper House, a Test for Koizumi's Structural Reform Plans
Japanese voters on Sunday started casting ballots for the House of Councilors election, the first major test for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's structural reform plans.
Various pre-election surveys have shown that the ruling coalition led by Koizumi's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will likely secure a majority of the 247-seat upper house.
A total of 496 candidates are vying for 121 seats in the chamber, half of which are contested every three years. The number of upper house seats will be trimmed by five in Sunday's poll.
Of the 496, 292 are running for 73 seats representing the nation's 47 prefectures, and the remaining 204 are competing for 48 seats in the proportional representation section.
The current election is being followed closely by people at home and abroad because of Japan's status as a major economic power.
The upper chamber is not subject to dissolution and its members are expected to study each legislative item more thoroughly, while the more powerful House of Representatives has priority in naming prime ministers, passing national budget bills and ratifying treaties.
The focus will be on whether Koizumi can advance his structural reforms after Sunday's poll.
Koizumi said earlier the three-party ruling bloc wants to jointly win 63 seats to secure a majority in the upper chamber to smoothly carry out his structural reform plans.
A majority means 124 seats because upper house seats will be trimmed from 252 to 247.
About half the upper chamber's members, who have six-year terms, are replaced every three years. The terms of 126 members are expiring and 496 candidates are fighting for the 121 seats up for grabs.
The ruling coalition currently holds 137 upper house seats, 60 of which are not subject to this election as their terms do not expire until 2004.
Independent lawmaker Takujiro Hamada whose term will expire in 2004 is working with New Komeito members in a parliamentary group and votes in line with them. Such action is allowed in both houses.
He brings to 61 the number of upper house coalition members not contesting seats this time. The coalition will therefore need to win 63 seats to maintain its overall majority.
Yukio Hatoyama, leader of the largest opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), suggested its target is 27 seats.
Sunday is also be the first test of a new voting system introduced in the proportional representation section. It allows people to vote either for individual candidates or political parties. Under the previous system, voters could only choose parties.
The new system has prompted parties to field celebrity candidates such as TV personalities and former sports stars, who they hope will garner more votes, especially among unaffiliated voters.
A rough overall picture of the election results is expected to be known by midnight, although final official returns will not be known until around 11 a.m. Monday.
Polling stations across Japan opened at 7 a.m. and most will close at 8 p.m.
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