Japan is holding its parliamentary election today, with voting beginning at 8 a.m. local time and continuing until 8 p.m. A total of 1,284 candidates are contesting for 465 seats in the lower house of parliament. The election follows the dissolution of parliament on January 23 by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who also announced the February 8 early election date.

Opinion polls suggest that Prime Minister Takaichi’s conservative alliance, led by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Japan Innovation Party, is expected to win by a large margin. Surveys indicate the coalition could secure more than 300 of the 465 seats in the lower house.

Of the 465 seats, 289 members will be directly elected from single-member districts, while the remaining 176 will be chosen through proportional representation across 11 regional blocs. Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister, faces her main challenge from the Japan Innovation Party.