Where will Komeito’s votes go? The answer might come from this Hyogo district

Ever since Japan’s Lower House election campaigning kicked off late last month, one question has lingered in the minds of many: Where will Komeito’s votes go?

While there’s no sure way of knowing until the first exit polls come through, hints will likely be found in Amagasaki, an industrial city of roughly 450,000 people in Hyogo Prefecture neighboring Osaka.

Except for a short three-year period from 2009, Komeito has all but dominated Lower House races in the local district, Hyogo No. 8, since the current election system was established in 1996. Before the Lower House dissolution, the city was one of just four districts in the country where a Komeito lawmaker held a single seat constituency.