Here is an interesting item from the Wall Street Journal, which is non-gated.

But, it’s the final part that is probably of most interest to those of us not particularly interested in Japanese politics but watching for the result (bolding is mine):

As soon as the voting closes on Sunday at 8 p.m. (thats 1100GMT), all TV stations are expected to show a three digit number on their screen. The number will be an estimate of how many seats the ruling bloc has won in the election.

  • If the number is below 238, it will mean the ruling bloc has failed to secure a majority in the lower house. Prime Minister Abe will likely step down if that is the case, although such result is highly unlikely at this point.
  • If the number is 266 or higher, it would mean that the ruling bloc has secured the “absolute stable majority,” meaning they will be able to chair all major lower house committees and also hold a majority in all of them.
  • If the number is 317, it would mean the ruling bloc has the power to override any bill that the upper house rejects and pass it into a law.
  • Anything above 326 would mean the ruling bloc has added to the number of seats they held when the lower house was dissolved for election earlier this month.

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More at the article

And … if ya just can’t get enough … I posted this earlier in the month: Japanese election coming up … here are the numbers