Campaigning for the 49th House of Representatives elections officially kicked off Tuesday, with candidates vying for votes over 12 days through Oct. 31, when voting and ballot counting will take place.
The ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito will face off against opposition parties led by the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan on issues including COVID-19 measures and economic policies.
All 465 seats in the lower house will be contested in the election. Of them, 289 will be elected in single-seat constituencies and 176 through proportional representation.
According to the Yomiuri Shimbun tally, 1,050 candidates had launched campaigns, the lowest number under the current system since the 2005 lower house election, when 1,131 candidates ran.
Party leaders hit the campaign trail on Tuesday morning, with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, president of the LDP, stumping in Fukushima, where he expressed his intention to take all possible measures to contain the novel coronavirus pandemic.
"Once we get social activities back to something close to normal, it's important to grow the economy. We will implement economic measures to distribute the fruits of growth and raise incomes," Kishida said. "This election is about choosing the future. I would like you to choose us and have confidence in us. We want to promote politics of trust and empathy."
Yukio Edano, leader of the CDPJ, kicked things off in Matsue. "Has the economic policy package known as 'Abenomics' made our lives better? The first step to improving the economy is to redistribute income so that everybody benefits," he said.
"The best economic measure is to reestablish a society in which the population is made up of 100 million members of the middle-class and reduce anxiety. We have a concrete vision and plan. Let's use our strength to change a political system that has become outdated."
At JR Kawasaki Station, Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi vowed to introduce a "future support benefit" package that will be worth about 100,000 yen per child up to high-school age.
"We will rebuild our damaged society and economy, and create a society where young people can have hope," Yamaguchi said.
Meanwhile, Japanese Communist Party Chair Kazuo Shii delivered a speech in front of JR Shinjuku Station in Tokyo. "For a change of government, we need a serious opposition party alliance. Let's end the LDP-Komeito government and form a new government, a coalition of opposition parties," he said.
Ichiro Matsui, head of Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party), was in Osaka, where he told onlookers that wealth "redistribution means politicians will have to think about how to use taxpayers' money. The first and foremost step is reform. The only way to redistribute [wealth] is to review what to spend tax money on and secure financial resources."
In a speech in Nagasaki, Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People, said, "We will shift to an aggressive fiscal policy and create an economy where salaries rise. While keeping [coronavirus] infections under control, let's move forward the economy and society, which have been stagnant for a long time."
The prime minister dissolved the House of Representatives on Oct. 14, ahead of the Oct. 21 expiration of the terms of lower house members.
This will be the first time under the current Constitution that a lower house election takes place after the expiration of their terms.
The LDP has set a goal of securing a majority (233) in the House of Representatives with its junior coalition partner Komeito. The CDPJ, JCP, DPFP, Reiwa Shinsengumi and the Social Democratic Party have agreed to field a single candidate in more than 210 constituencies.
There are expected to be 130 constituencies where the ruling and opposition parties will effectively be in a one-on-one race.
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