July's House of Councilors election is expected to see 270 people vying for the 121 seats of for grabs, with the focus being on whether the ruling coalition — the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito — can retain a majority, according to a Kyodo News survey released Thursday.
Half of the upper chamber's 242 seats are up for grabs every three years, of which 73 are elected in prefectural constituencies and 48 by proportional representation.
In the July poll, the ruling bloc has to get 64 seats in order to keep its majority in the chamber, while the opposition camp will have a majority if it wins 59 seats.