The National Diet is Japan’s bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives and an upper house, the House of Councilors. Both houses are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally responsible for selecting the Prime Minister. House of Councilors elections are scheduled to be held in Japan on 10 July 2022 to elect 124 of the 245 members of the House of Councilors, the upper house of the then 710-member bicameral National Diet, for a term of six years. The election has been overshadowed by the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which took place two days before the election. Abe was shot while delivering a campaign speech for Kei Sato, a member of the House of Councilors running for reelection. Prime Minister Kishida denounced the assassination as an attack on Japan’s democracy and vowed to defend a “free and fair election at all cost”.