1,230 People Plan to Seek Japan Lower House Seats

Tokyo, Jan. 23 (Jiji Press)--A total of about 1,230 people are planning to run in the Feb. 8 election for Japan's House of Representatives, fewer than the 1,334 candidates in the previous 2024 Lower House election, a Jiji Press survey showed Friday.

The latest figure includes some 300 potential female candidates.

There may be more contestants for the 465 seats up for grabs in the snap general election, which will be held following the dissolution of the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, the country's parliament, on Friday.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has selected around 340 candidates. The party will field candidates in almost all single-seat constituencies, excluding some districts, such as the No. 2 constituency in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan.

The LDP has also decided to field its candidates in some 10 constituencies, which had been ceded to candidates of Komeito, which ended its coalition with the LDP last year.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]