A look ahead to the Upper House elections

The precise results of the upcoming Upper House elections may matter less than commonly thought. While the governing LDP/New Komeito coalition will probably regain a majority of the seats, it is unlikely that it will achieve the two-thirds majority required to make changes to Japan’s constitution. However, this may be actually being a good thing, as the proposed changes could be very controversial both at home and abroad. What’s more, the coalition already has a two-thirds majority in the Lower House, which allows it to overrule the Upper House on key economic policy issues.