STORY: Japanese voters headed to the polls on Sunday (July 20) in a tightly contested upper house election, with rising prices and immigration concerns threatening to weaken Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's grip on power.

"The LDP has been running the government without resolving anything. This has been going on since the Abe administration, but I think it has reached its limit," said 59-year-old novelist Kaoru Kawai who voted for the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.

Opinion polls suggest Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party and coalition partner Komeito may fall short of the 50 seats needed to retain control of the 248-seat upper house of parliament in an election where half the seats are up for grabs.

The polls show smaller opposition parties pushing for tax cuts and increased public spending are set to gain, among them the right-wing Sanseito, which vows to curb immigration, oppose foreign capital inflows and reverse gender equality moves.

Voting ends at 8 p.m. (1100 GMT), when media are expected to project results based on exit polls.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: TOKYO, JAPAN (JULY 20, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF VOTERS CASTING BALLOTS

2. (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 59-YEAR-OLD NOVELIST, KAORU KAWAI, WHO VOTED FOR CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF JAPAN, SAYING:

“There’s this trend in society where people are thinking the Liberal Democratic Party (ruling party) should be replaced once. The LDP has been running the government without resolving anything. This has been going on since the Abe administration, but I think it has reached its limit.”

3. VARIOUS OF VOTERS CASTING BALLOTS

4. (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 25-YEAR-OLD GRADUATE STUDENT, YU NAGAI, WHO VOTED FOR SANSEITO, SAYING:

“I am attending graduate school, but there are no Japanese around me, and all of them are foreigners. When I look at the way compensation and money is spent on foreigners, I think that Japanese people are a bit disrespected. I want the money to be used (by the government) in a more correct way, so I pay attention to the policies regarding foreigners.”

5. VOTER RECEIVING PAPER TO CAST BALLOT

6. VOTERS FILLING OUT PAPER

7. (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 43-YEAR-OLD REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY WORKER, YUTAKA MOCHIZUKI, WHO VOTED FOR REIWA SHINSENGUMI, SAING:

“Tax cut (is one reason I voted for Reiwa). I believe that tax cuts are the policy that will help the current economy and the lives of the Japanese people, so I would like to see them take the first step by doing that.”

8. VOTER FILLING OUT PAPER

9. VOTER CASTING BALLOT