Voting begins in Japan's upper house election

Voters across Japan began casting their ballots on Sunday in the upper house election, which is expected to be a barometer of public opinion on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's six and a half years in power. Members of the upper house serve six-year terms, with about half the seats up for grabs every three years. In Sunday's election, 124 seats are up for grabs, including three that are newly added. With a total of 370 candidates vying for the seats, key platform issues include amending the Constitution, hiking the consumption tax, and the state's pension system.