TOKYO — Voting closed Sunday in Japan’s upper house elections, with early projections showing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s ruling coalition at risk of losing its majority in the House of Councilors.

National broadcaster NHK projected the coalition — led by Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior partner Komeito — could fall short of the 50-seat threshold needed to retain control, as ballots were counted. Final results are expected late Sunday.

The election is seen as a critical test for the embattled ruling bloc, which lost its grip on the more powerful lower house last year.

Of the 248 seats in the upper chamber, 125 were contested in this round — 75 constituency seats and 50 through proportional representation. One additional seat was up for grabs due to a vacancy.

Voting began at 7 a.m. local time (2200GMT Saturday) and concluded at 8 p.m. (1100GMT), with nearly 45,000 polling stations set up nationwide. As of 4 p.m., voter turnout stood at 22.42%, a slight drop from the 2022 election, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

However, a record 26.18 million voters — 25.12% of the electorate — cast their ballots early, surpassing the previous high in 2022.

The LDP-Komeito coalition currently holds 75 seats in the upper house and needs to secure at least 50 of the 125 available to maintain its majority. The last time the LDP lost control of the upper chamber was in 2007.

The election was fought on key domestic and foreign policy issues, including inflation, social security reforms, regional security, and Japan’s alliance with the United States.

Members of the House of Councilors serve six-year terms, with elections held every three years to renew half of the chamber. — Agencies