Campaigning begins for Oct. 22 Japan lower house election

Campaigning began Tuesday for the Oct. 22 House of Representatives election, pitting the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe against a recently reorganized opposition lineup including Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike's Party of Hope.Reforms have shrunk the lower house by 10 seats to a postwar low of 465. Abe has said he will resign if his Liberal Democratic Party and its smaller coalition partner Komeito do not win an overall majority with a combined 233 seats.When he dissolved the lower house on Sept. 28, Abe said he needed to get a fresh mandate for his administration's handling of h…READ FULL ARTICLE