Japan to hold upper house election

The Cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe decided to hold the upper house election and vote-counting on July 21.

A total of 124 seats will be up for grabs with 74 allocated to constituencies and 50 to proportional representation. Half of the seats in the upper chamber are contested every three years.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and junior coalition partner Komeito are aiming to win a majority of at least 63 of the contested seats. Opposition parties hope to end the LDP's dominance.