The ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito aim to win a majority of the seats up for grabs in the upcoming Upper House election, a senior ruling party lawmaker said Monday.
"We will aim to win at least 63" out of the 124 seats to be contested, LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai said during an interview. "It won't be difficult if we try hard."
The comments came after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who heads the LDP, said Saturday that the line dividing victory from defeat will be whether the coalition wins a majority of seats, without clarifying whether uncontested seats in the Upper House are included.
The election is to be held as the six-year term for half the Upper House members will expire July 28. The LDP-Komeito coalition secured a sweeping victory in the 2013 Upper House race.
Still, the ruling parties do not have a two-thirds majority in the House of Councilors, which is needed if Abe wants to pursue his long-cherished goal of amending the pacifist Constitution.
