The National Diet building is seen in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Oct. 14, 2021. (Mainichi/Natsuki Nishi)

       TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is the most popular among Japanese voters ahead of the general election, though nearly 40 percent remain undecided on which party they will vote for, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday.

       In the nationwide telephone survey conducted on Saturday and Sunday, 29.6 percent of respondents said they will vote for the LDP led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida when casting ballots under proportional representation on Oct. 31, followed by 9.7 percent backing the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.

       But 39.4 percent said they still do not know which party they will vote for. The LDP's junior coalition partner Komeito was supported by 4.7 percent.

       The weekend survey also showed voters want changes in how the country is run, with 68.9 percent feeling that Kishida should not inherit the policies of the two prime ministers from the LDP who immediately preceded him, with only 26.7 percent wanting the recently elected premier to follow the policy lines of his predecessors Shinzo Abe and Yoshihide Suga.

       Asked about the most desirable outcome of the House of Representatives election, 45.2 percent said they want the ruling party and opposition forces to be evenly matched, and 13.9 percent prefer a change of power.

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