1,230 People Plan to Seek Japan Lower House Seats

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)–A total of about 1,230 people are planning to run in the Feb. 8 election for Japan’s House of Representatives, fewer than the 1,334 candidates in the previous 2024 Lower House election, a Jiji Press survey showed Friday. The latest figure includes some 300 potential female candidates. There may be more contestants for the 465 seats up for grabs in the snap general election, which will be held following the dissolution of the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, the country’s parliament, on Friday. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has selected around 340 candidates. The party will field candidates in almost all single-seat constituencies, excluding some districts, such as the No. 2 constituency in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan. The LDP has also decided to field its candidates in some 10 constituencies, which had been ceded to candidates of Komeito, which ended its coalition with the LDP last year. The Japan Innovation Party, which joined the coalition government with the LDP last year, is preparing to field 87 candidates, competing with rivals from the LDP in more than 80 constituencies. A total of 239 people are planning to run in the election on the ticket of the Centrist Reform Alliance, a new party formed by the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito. The Democratic Party for the People is planning to endorse 103 candidates, who are expected to face rivals from the Centrist Reform Alliance in about 50 constituencies. The Japanese Communist Party is expected to issue party tickets to 176 people, who are seen to clash with candidates of the new party in some 100 constituencies. Reiwa Shinsengumi is set to field 31 candidates. Sanseito has selected 178 candidates, aiming to increase its presence in the Lower House, following its success in the election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber, last year. The Conservative Party of Japan is slated to issue party tickets to 17 people, the Social Democratic Party to 14 people, and Team Mirai to eight people. In the Lower House, 289 seats are allocated to single-seat constituencies and 176 seats under the proportional representation system. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]