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Japanese cast votes for the lower house election
(Xinhua/Agencies)
Updated: 2009-08-30 13:46

Japanese cast votes for the lower house election
Japan's opposition Democratic Party leader Yukio Hatoyama shakes hands with voters during a campaign for the upcoming lower house election in Sakai, western Japan, August 29, 2009.[Xinhua]

A total of 1,374 people declared candidacies for the general election, with 1,139 running in the 300 single-seat constituencies and 888 in the 180-seat proportional representation segment.

Japanese media surveys have shown the DPJ is on track of winning 300 seats, as the opposition has a solid hold on nearly 200 of the 300 single-seat constituencies and is likely to take 90of the 180 seats in the proportional representation segment.

Each voter casts two ballots -- one to choose a candidate in a single-seat constituency and the other to choose a political party or group for proportional representation.

Statistics released Saturday by the Japanese government showed that more than 10.94 million people, or 10.49 percent of the eligible voters nationwide, already cast their ballots in early voting for the election on Aug. 19-28, representing a record high enthusiasm among voters to choose their leader of government.