TOKYO, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Official campaigning kicked off Thursday for Japan's upper house election, with the vote set for July 21 likely to be a public mandate on the overall performance of the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe amid some potentially thorny issues.
The election is being held against a backdrop of public consternation over a controversial pension report which led to major concerns being raised about the government's public pension system's efficacy to comprehensively serve a rapidly aging society.
Opposition parties have been rattled by the government's handling of a pension report that revealed that under the current system, an average retired couple, if they live to be 95 years old, would face a shortfall of 20 million yen (184,000 U.S. dollars).
The 17-day campaign period will also almost certainly result in a public mandate on Japan's sputtering economy, with the public concerned that a planned consumption tax hike from eight to 10 percent slated for October this year, might plunge the nation into recession, as was the case when tax here was raised from five to eight percent.
In contrast to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its Komeito ally, who advocate the need to raise the consumption tax, all five opposition parties are opposed to the controversial tax hike in October, believing more focus should be given to supporting domestic households.
The planned tax hike comes at a time when Japan's economy has not been entirely shielded from the fallout of global trade issues.
The current export control restrictions slapped on some tech-related products bound for South Korea, may take their toll on Japanese manufacturers down the line, industry insiders have said.
Also very much in focus, is the Abe's push to revise Japan's war renouncing, pacifist Constitution. Abe will need a two-thirds majority in both houses to pave the way for a national referendum on the issue, but currently he doesn't have the requisite number of seats in the upper chamber.
The LDP wants to expedite revision to the Constitution, although its Komeito ally has been more hesitant about the move.
Meanwhile, the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Democratic Party for the People, the Japanese Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party, are staunchly against changing the pacifist Constitution, which has guaranteed Japan and its people peace and security since the end of World War II.
More than half of the candidates likely to run in the election henceforth are also opposed to revising the Constitution, according to a poll conducted by Japan's Kyodo News.
As ruling and opposition parties are divided over key issues of raising the consumption tax and amending the Constitution, in the upper house election, the opposition camp has joined forces to counter the ruling coalition by fielding "unified" candidates in the country's 32 single-seat constituencies to avoid splitting the vote.
More than 360 candidates are expected to compete for 124 seats up for grabs in the upper house. In electoral districts, 74 candidates will be chosen with 50 selected through proportional representation.
The ruling coalition needs to win at least 53 as 70 seats are uncontested. This is a lower threshold than the 69 seats that the ruling parties won in 2016 when the previous upper house election was held.
The ruling LDP is seeking to secure a majority in the 245-member upper chamber with its coalition partner Komeito.
The opposition camp, meanwhile, will jointly be trying to prevent this from happening by chipping away at the ruling camp's support base, while boosting its own in a coordinated fashion, and highlighting the failings of the LDP-led coalition in terms of the economy and a spate of other domestic issues that have and will have a direct bearing on the public and the nation looking ahead.
These will predominantly revolve around issues of tax and constitutional reform.
The election will be held as the six-year term for half of the current upper house members will expire on July 28.
