Six major Japanese opposition parties failed to unify candidates in 239, or about 80%, of the 289 single-seat constituencies for the House of Representatives in the Oct. 27 general election, as candidacy filing closed at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Only 47 constituencies, or about 16%, have one candidate each from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito coalition and from among the opposition parties, including the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP), Nippon Ishin no Kai and the Japanese Communist Party (JCP).
The situation may help the ruling bloc as votes from those critical of the LDP-led government, especially in light of the the party's slush fund scandal, could be dispersed among opposition candidates.
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