TOKYO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Voting in Japan's general election began on Sunday morning, with over 1,200 candidates competing for 465 seats in the House of Representatives, the powerful lower chamber of parliament.
The primary focus of the election is whether the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party will secure a majority and allow the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to continue, or whether the opposition will expand its strength and block that outcome.
Polling stations across the country will close at 8 p.m. local time, and ballot counting is expected to last late into the night.
Of the 465 seats in the House of Representatives, 289 will be elected from single-member districts and 176 through proportional representation in 11 regional blocs. ■
