Japan's House of Representatives election D-2: What happens if the coalition fails to secure majority?

[Anchor]

In Japan, the House of Representatives election will be held in two days.

There are predictions that the ruling coalition's majority is at risk due to issues like slush funds.

The fate of the 'Ishiba Cabinet', which has been in office for less than a month, is shrouded in uncertainty.

This is KBS's Tokyo correspondent, Hwang Jin-woo.

[Report]

The election for Japan's House of Representatives, which will elect 465 members, is just two days away.

This election follows Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's dissolution of the House of Representatives on Oct. 9, shortly after he took office at the beginning of this month.

It was a gamble to hold the fastest election after taking office, but it does not seem to be going smoothly.

Since regaining power in 2012, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has secured more than 261 stable seats in four elections.

However, recent opinion polls indicate that they are unlikely to achieve a majority on their own this time, and even when combined with their coalition partner, Komeito, achieving a majority is considered precarious.

[Shigeru Ishiba / Prime Minister of Japan: "This is truly a difficult election. I must take responsibility for all the various shortcomings as the party leader."]

Many voters have turned away due to factional politics, slush fund issues, and allegations related to the former Unification Church.

The cabinet aimed for a turnaround by minimizing factional influence in its formation, but the approval rating for the Ishiba Cabinet has dropped to around 30% in less than a month.

As a result, the LDP has lowered its expectations for the election outcome to securing a majority for the ruling coalition.

If they fail to achieve even that, they will need to recruit independent candidates or open the door to coalition with other parties to secure a majority.

Current forecasts suggest that after the House of Representatives election, the LDP's control over national affairs will inevitably weaken, and there is a possibility that the policy direction of the Japanese cabinet, which has continued since former Prime Minister Kishida, may change.

This is Hwang Jin-woo from KBS News in Tokyo.