TOKYO — Japanese voters casting ballots in a lower house election on Sunday amid swirling uncertainty over the race. The focus will be on whether the ruling Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito coalition can maintain its majority, and what the results of the poll will mean for new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
Voting ended at 8 pm, with actual results rolling in later in the evening and into the following morning.
Here’s the latest (Japan time):
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Sunday, Oct. 27
8:11 p.m. 50 seats have been confirmed as going to the ruling bloc, with 27 for the opposition. 233 are need for a majority.
8 p.m. Voting closes. The ruling bloc is at risk of losing their lower house majority, Nikkei projected immediately after polls closed based on exit surveys of voters and other factors.
The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) is expected to gain seats in the chamber, as is the Democratic Party for the People, amid public anger at the LDP over a political funds scandal involving dozens of its legislators.
7:37 p.m. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba entered LDP headquarters.
7:36 p.m. The voter turnout rate was 29.01% as of 6 pm, down 2.63 percentage points from the same time in the previous election. About 20.95 million voters, or 20.11% of those eligible, had cast early ballots, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
The lower house election seats are not the only positions being voted on. There is also a national review of Supreme Court judges, under which citizens select judges they would like to see resign. Since this globally rare system was introduced in 1949, no judge has been removed from office.
7:21 p.m. LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama and Election Strategy Chief Shinjiro Koizumi have entered the party’s headquarters.
7pm Just an hour to go now.
6:15 p.m. The voter turnout rate was 24.32% as of 4 pm, down 2.46 percentage points from the same time in the previous election, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. About 20.95 million voters, or 20.11% of those eligible, cast early ballots .
6pm We are now just two hours away from the close of voting. Once the polling stations close, initial exit polls and media projections will provide a picture of how the night might play out. Most results are expected to be confirmed by the early hours of Monday .
While we wait, please take a look at some of our coverage during the campaign:
– Japan’s uncertain lower house election outlook: What’s at stake?
– 5 ways Japan’s elections are unique
– Japan’s ruling LDP faces tightening races in final election stretch
– Japanese politicians’ vow to up minimum wage by 40% concerns raises
And here’s the key line from our story this morning: Predictions by the media hint at a tough battle for the LDP, with Nikkei surveys showing a close race in nearly half of single-seat electoral districts.
Below is a chart showing the makeup of the lower house before parliament was dissolved for the election.