Japan PM aims to retain upper house majority after July poll

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Monday that his goal for next month's national election is for the ruling coalition to retain its majority in the House of Councillors.The Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, the Komeito party, currently control the 248-member upper house. With 125 seats contested this time -- half of the 248 seats in the chamber and one to fill a vacancy, the ruling camp must win 50 seats to clear the majority threshold.Upper house members serve six-year terms.As political parties prepare to launch full-fledged election campaigns, Ishiba said at iss…READ FULL ARTICLE