As the campaign for the July 10 Upper House election kicked off Wednesday, the major parties unveiled their platforms to win over voters.
The ruling coalition regards the House of Councilors election as a key test of its economic policies, keeping mention of its more contentious goals low on its pledge list, while the opposition parties are casting the poll as a decisive moment for the nation's democracy.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party, led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, tried to get ahead of the pack by unveiling its campaign pledges at the beginning of June.