Record 21.45 M. Vote Early in Japan Upper House Poll

   Tokyo, July 19 (Jiji Press)--The number of people who cast their ballots by Friday under the early voting system for Sunday's House of Councillors election in Japan totaled 21,450,220, a record high for an election for either chamber of parliament, government data showed Saturday.
   The figure accounts for 20.58 pct of all voters, the internal affairs ministry said.
   Many people may have used the early voting system because the election day was set in the middle of a three-day weekend.
   Early voting for the Upper House election began on July 4, a day after the start of the official campaign period. The number is expected to increase once Saturday's voters are included.
   The previous record for early voters was 21,379,977 in the 2017 election for the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament. The record high for an Upper House election was 19,613,475 in the previous 2022 poll.

(2025/07/19-19:56)