Embattled Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party has apparently fallen further behind the Democratic Party of Japan in wooing nonaffiliated voters before Sunday's Upper House election and is also losing women's support.
With the 17-day official campaign period nearing its end, Winning over the swing voters is crucial for Abe's ruling bloc, as media projections across the board suggest the LDP-New Komeito coalition may lose its majority in the House of Councilors to the DPJ, the largest opposition force.
The latest Kyodo News poll showed Thursday that the gap between nonaffiliated voters who would vote for the DPJ and those who would vote for the LDP grew to its widest over the past month in both the prefectural constituency and proportional representation sections.