Tokyo, July 20 -- Voting for Japan's upper house election began on Sunday morning, with a total of 522 people running in the intensive battle between the ruling and opposition camps.
The House of Councillors is made up of 248 members with six-year terms. Elections are held every three years, with half the seats up for grabs each time. Voters are weighing in on a total of 125 seats in Sunday's poll, including one where a contest is needed to fill a vacancy.
Currently, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior ruling partner Komeito have 75 seats that are not up for re-election. Therefore, the embattled coalition, which faces bad media poll numbers, must secure 50 seats in this election to maintain a majority in the 248-seat cham...