Japan's opposition DPJ likely to win over 300 seats: polls

TOKYO, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) could win more than 300 seats in the upcoming lowerhouse elections, far exceeding the 241-seat majority, The Daily Yomiuri reported Friday, citing its public opinion poll.

According to a survey conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun between Tuesday and Thursday, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is likely to lose ground to the DPJ not only in big cities but also in rural areas, the LDP's traditional electoral power base.

Of the 271 candidates the DPJ is fielding in the single-seat constituency race, nearly 200, or about 70 percent, look set to win, while about 40 are considered too close to call, said the paper's analysis based on the survey.

In the poll, however, about 20 percent of respondents said they had yet to decide which candidate and party to vote for in the single-seat constituency and proportional representation races. Therefore, the current tide could change as the campaign period nears its end, said the paper.

Also on Friday, The Asahi Shimbun made a similar prediction of over 300 seats for the DPJ in the Aug. 30 election.

The ruling LDP looks set to lose more than half of the 300 seats it had before the Diet's dissolution and the general election campaign began, said the Asahi analysis based on its survey conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The LDP's junior coalition partner, New Komeito and the Japanese Communist Party are expected to win about the same number of proportional representation seats -- 23 and nine, respectively -- as in the last lower house election, said the analysis.

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.