Japanese PM's power hangs by thread as voters head to polls amid economic troubles
Japanese voters prepare to decide PM Ishibaʼs fate in crucial election where his party faces major setback. Recent scandals and rising costs-of-living push voters away from ruling coalition
On this sunday Shigeru Ishibaʼs government faces a tough test as Japanese citizens cast their votes in a nation-wide election. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its partner Komeito might loose their control over parliament due to recent fund-raising issues and price increases
The polls show that Ishiba (who got his job just last month) could see his coalition drop below the needed 233-seat mark: experts think LDP might give up 50 seats while Komeito could end up with less than 30. The Constitutional Democratic Party might get up-to 140 seats which would be their best result since they beat LDP about 15 years ago
The economic effects of this vote are getting markets nervous; the Nikkei index dropped 2‚7% last week. The Bank of Japans plans to raise rates could face problems if new coalition partners (like Innovation Party or DPP) join the government - they dont support such moves
Main voter worries include:
* Rising costs of everyday items
* Need for tax cuts
* Wage increases
* Political funding rules
The ruling partyʼs handling of donation problems isnt helping their case - Ishiba says its all done but might let some problem politicians back in government positions. Any new coalition deals would need careful talks about money issues; DPP wants to cut sales tax in half while Innovation Party focuses on stricter rules for political money (which could make things harder for LDP)
