Japan ruling party not assured of majority in upcoming election

Japan's ruling party may struggle to retain a majority in the Oct. 27 House of Representatives election in the wake of slush funds scandal, while the main opposition could secure more seats than before last week's dissolution of the powerful chamber, a Kyodo News poll showed Wednesday.The projections, based on a telephone survey of 156,000 eligible voters across the country and information gathered by Kyodo News, point to a rough road ahead for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party despite his pledge to repair its tarnished image and win back public trust.Nearly 30 percen…READ FULL ARTICLE