Voters in Japan headed to the polls on Sunday for parliamentary elections that will determine the next prime minister.

Polling ahead of the vote suggested that the ruling conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) — which has dominated Japanese politics for decades — may fall short of the majority required to govern.

“We want to start afresh as a fair, just and sincere party, and seek your mandate,” Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told supporters at a rally on Saturday.

The second-biggest party is the Constitutional Democratic Party, led by popular former Prime Minister Toshihiko Noda.

“The LDP’s politics is all about quickly implementing policies for those who give them loads of cash,” Noda told supporters on Saturday. “But those in vulnerable positions, who can’t offer cash, have been ignored.”

More to come…

zc/ab (AFP, Reuters)