LDP expected to win majority in Japan's general election

TOKYO - Japan's main opposition party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), is likely to win nearly 300 seats in the House of Representatives election held on Sunday, according to the latest poll released Thursday.

The LDP, headed by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and its ally, the New Komeito Party, is expected to secure more than 300 seats in the 480-seat lower house, said a telephone survey conducted by Japan's Kyodo News.

Japan's main opposition Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) leader and former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe makes a speech during a campaign for the December 16 lower house election in Ageo, north of Tokyo, in this Dec 11, 2012 file photo. [Photo/Agencies]

The two-day survey ended on Wednesday and covered more than 63, 000 eligible voters in 150 selected single-seat constituencies. However, the information of the rest 150 constituencies was collected through other channels, said Kyodo.

The ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), led by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, is likely to secure only about 60 seats, compared with its current 230 seats in the house, said the survey.

The DPJ swept to power in last lower house election in 2009 and ended the LDP's almost continuous rule for more than 50 years.

The poll also showed that the third forces that challenge the LDP and the DPJ are struggling to gain more supports.

The Japan Restoration Party is expected to gain no more than 50 seats, while the Tomorrow Party of Japan and Your Party would together get about 25 seats, the poll said.

The survey also said, however, more than 40 percent of the respondents have undecided on whom and which party they will respectively vote for in the single-seat constituencies and proportional representation regional blocks.

The rest 180 seats in the lower house will be decided by parties that win the run for the proportional representation regional blocks.