Voters cast ballots for Lower House election

Oct 27 (NHK) - Voters across Japan are having their say. They're deciding which lawmakers will fill the Diet's powerful Lower House. All polling stations are set to close later tonight, by 8 PM.

All 465 seats in the chamber are up for grabs. 289 will be decided in single-seat districts and 176 through proportional representation. The benchmark for a Lower House majority is 233.

The ruling coalition went into the election with 279 seats. Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru says he'll consider victory to be a maintained majority for the Liberal Democratic Party and junior partner Komeito.

Noda Yoshihiko, who heads the largest opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, wants to stop that from happening.

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