The campaign for the general elections in Japan begins

TOKYO – The official campaign for Japan’s October 27 general election began on Tuesday as new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba sought a mandate for his policies and reforms following the ruling party’s political funds scandal.

More than 1,300 candidates were expected to take part in the race for the 465-seat lower house before registration ends later on Tuesday.

Ishiba called early elections after taking office as prime minister on October 1. As has been typical for Liberal Democratic Party leaders over the past decade, he was expected to begin his campaign in Fukushima to renew his promise to support the region’s recovery from the 2011 nuclear disaster.

With the early elections, Ishiba is trying to secure a majority in the Lower House, the more powerful of Japan’s two parliamentary chambers, before the congratulatory mood wears off.

The move was criticized for prioritizing an election over politics and allowing for little debate.

A majority for the governing coalition would be 233 seats between his LDP and its junior coalition partner Komeito. Before the dissolution, the coalition had 288 seats, 256 of which were held by the LDP.

The main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, which briefly ruled Japan from 2009 to 2012, sees public anger over the LDP money scandal as a rare opportunity to gain ground by appealing to conservative swing voters. The liberal-leaning CDPJ is making a conservative shift and now has a centrist leader, Yoshihiko Noda, also a former prime minister.

“A change in leadership is the greatest political reform,” Noda said.

Political observers say Japan’s opposition remains too fragmented to dislodge the ruling party from power it has held almost continuously in the postwar period.

While support for Ishiba’s new government fell from over 50% to 42% in the Kyodo News poll just over a week after she took office, the LDP was still by far the voter favorite among all political parties.

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