Japan's Upper House of Parliament Elections Sunday July 21,2013

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe smiles as he places a red rosette on the name of his Liberal Democratic Party's(LDP) winning candidate during ballot counting for the upper house elections at the party headquarters in Tokyo Sunday, July 21, 2013

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition won a majority in the upper house of parliament in elections yesterday, media projected, giving it control of both chambers and a mandate to press ahead with difficult economic reforms. The win is an endorsement of the Liberal Democratic Party's "Abenomics" program, which has helped spark a tentative economic recovery, and a vindication for Abe, who lost upper house elections in 2007 during his previous stint as prime minister

Controlling both houses of parliament has been an elusive goal for Japanese governments in recent years. With a divided parliament, it has been hard to pass legislation, and voters fed up with the gridlock and high leadership turnover appeared willing to opt for the perceived safety of the LDP, which has ruled Japan for most of the post-World War II era

Based on exit polls and early results, LDP and its coalition partner, New Komeito, won a combined 73 seats, giving them a total of 132 seats in the chamber, more than the 122 needed for a majority

The main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, which fell from power in December elections, was projected to lose nearly 30 seats

Voter turnout was low, suggesting a lack of public enthusiasm. According to Kyodo News agency, only 52 % of eligible voters cast ballots, the third-lowest turnout since the end of World War II

About Japan's (Parliament)National Diet

• Generally, the election of Diet members is controlled by statutes passed by the Diet

• Candidates for the lower house must be 25 years old or older and 30 years or older for the upper house

• All candidates must be Japanese Nationals

• The presence of one-third of the membership of either house constitutes a Quorum

The National Diet is Japan's Bi-cameral Legislature -

House of Representatives(Lower House)comprising 480 members, 300 are elected from single seat constituencies and 180 are elected from eleven separate electoral blocs under the Party List System of Proportional Representation

House of Councillors(Upper House)comprising 242 members, 146 are elected from 47 prefectural constituencies by means of the Single Non-transferable vote and the balance 96 are elected by open list PR from a single national list