Japan’s ruling camp poised for majority in upper house polls

The Japanese ruling camp led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to win a majority in Sunday’s upper house elections, according to exit polls by local media.

At least half of 242 seats in the chamber were contested in the elections and the ruling camp is likely to win over 61 seats, Xinhua news agency cited an exit poll by the Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is likely to win 54 to 61 seats. If it gains 57 seats, it will secure an easy majority by its own in the upper house for the first time in 27 years. The Komeito party, LPD’s small ruling alliance partner, is expected to win 13 to 15 positions.

The Democratic Party, the main opposition party, is expected to get 26 to 32 seats.

It remained unclear now whether the ruling camp that groups LDP and the Komeito as well as other two small opposition parties could win together two-thirds majority in the chamber so as to launch a Constitution amendment motion in the future.

Combined with their uncontested seats in the upper house, the constitution review bloc needs to secure 78 positions in the contest on Sunday so as to take a two-thirds majority in the upper house. 

Another exit poll by Japan’s Kyodo News said that the constitution review bloc is close to getting two-thirds majority in the upper house.