Voters will deliver a verdict on the five-year-old administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with Sunday's snap election, as opinion polls show his ruling coalition, despite a surprise challenge from populist Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, is widely expected to cruise to victory and help him consolidate his grip on power.
A survey by the conservative Yomiuri Shimbun daily from Tuesday to Thursday suggested the ruling Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito pair could gain more than 300 seats in the 465-member Lower House, well beyond Abe's self-imposed victory line — a simple majority of 233. The daily, however, noted the situation remains fluid as 20 percent of Japan's voters are still undecided.
An outright victory would be taken as a powerful public mandate for Abe, adding momentum to his widely rumored bid next year to run for a historic third term as LDP president.