Oct 15, Kathmandu- The election campaign for the general election to be held in Japan on October 27 has started from Tuesday.

While the ruling coalition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its partners are expected to retain their majority in the elections, the focus of the election is on the opposition parties weakening the grip of the ruling group.

1,338 candidates are competing for 465 seats in the House of Representatives, the powerful house of parliament, according to the Japanese government media NHK.

Japan's House of Representatives is elected through a mixed electoral system that combines both single-member districts and proportional representation.

In elections, voters cast ballots on two ballots, one for a candidate in a single-member district and one for a party in proportional representation.

The election is expected to focus on key issues such as political reforms, inflation and response to economic measures following the LDP's fund scandal. The LDP, which has ruled Japan for a long time, previously occupied 258 seats in the 465-member lower house, and ruled in alliance with Komeito with 32 seats.

The main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, led by former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, won 99 seats.