This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia_pacific/10586526.stm
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Upper house vote tests Japan PM | Upper house vote tests Japan PM |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The prime minister and his wife voted early in Tokyo | The prime minister and his wife voted early in Tokyo |
| Japan is voting in upper house polls being seen as a referendum on the 10 months of rule by the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) led by PM Naoto Kan. | Japan is voting in upper house polls being seen as a referendum on the 10 months of rule by the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) led by PM Naoto Kan. |
| He told supporters on Saturday that Japan had to avoid financial collapse. | He told supporters on Saturday that Japan had to avoid financial collapse. |
| Mr Kan came to office last month and polls suggest the DPJ and its allies may lose their majority in the house. | Mr Kan came to office last month and polls suggest the DPJ and its allies may lose their majority in the house. |
| A poor result could force him to seek new coalition partners, and may even see Mr Kan ousted by his party, says the BBC's Roland Buerk in Tokyo. | |
| The DPJ came to power last August, ending half a century of dominance by its main rivals, the conservative Liberal Democratic Party. | |
| Mr Kan succeeded Yukio Hatoyama who resigned abruptly after only nine months in office. | Mr Kan succeeded Yukio Hatoyama who resigned abruptly after only nine months in office. |
| Polls close at 2000 (1100 GMT), with exit polls expected to indicate likely results immediately after that. | Polls close at 2000 (1100 GMT), with exit polls expected to indicate likely results immediately after that. |
| Sales tax row | Sales tax row |
| In Sunday's poll, 121 seats, half of the upper house, are being contested. | In Sunday's poll, 121 seats, half of the upper house, are being contested. |
| Currently, the DPJ and its coalition ally, the People's New Party, control 122 seats. But opinion polls suggested the DPJ would lose some of its seats. | |
| The campaign has been dominated by the prime minister's suggestion that Japan needs to discuss the possibility of an increase in sales tax - an issue that has divided voters, says our Tokyo correspondent. | The campaign has been dominated by the prime minister's suggestion that Japan needs to discuss the possibility of an increase in sales tax - an issue that has divided voters, says our Tokyo correspondent. |
| Around 104 million Japanese are eligible to vote. More than 9.5 million voters had already cast early ballots on Sunday morning. | Around 104 million Japanese are eligible to vote. More than 9.5 million voters had already cast early ballots on Sunday morning. |
| There were mixed messages from voters leaving the polls. | There were mixed messages from voters leaving the polls. |
| Junko Yoshimizu, 68, who cast her vote for the DPJ, said in Tokyo: "I still have hope for them and as such I want to give them a bit more time." | Junko Yoshimizu, 68, who cast her vote for the DPJ, said in Tokyo: "I still have hope for them and as such I want to give them a bit more time." |
| But Akira Ono, also 68, said after casting his vote: "They weren't as good as I was expecting and so I'm somewhat disappointed." | But Akira Ono, also 68, said after casting his vote: "They weren't as good as I was expecting and so I'm somewhat disappointed." |
| Addressing supporters in Tokyo as the campaign drew to a close, Mr Kan said the country had to make sure it avoided collapse. | |
| "Japan's economy is 20 to 30 times bigger than that of Greece and its public debt is huge, so no country in the world could rescue Japan," Mr Kan said. | "Japan's economy is 20 to 30 times bigger than that of Greece and its public debt is huge, so no country in the world could rescue Japan," Mr Kan said. |
| Japan has been borrowing money for two decades, trying to bring its economy out of stagnation. | Japan has been borrowing money for two decades, trying to bring its economy out of stagnation. |
| The new government has seized greater control of policy-making from the powerful bureaucracy, our correspondent says. | |
| But it has performed less well tackling Japan's big problems - the ageing population and the vast national debt. | |
| Funding scandals and a row over an American military base brought down Mr Hatoyama. | |