Japanese candidates made final appeals yesterday ahead of an election expected to restore the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to power and return former premier Shinzo Abe to power.

A win today by the LDP would usher in a government committed to a firm stance in a territorial row with China, a pro-nuclear energy policy, and a radical prescription for hyper-easy monetary policy and big fiscal spending to beat deflation and tame a strong yen.

Media surveys suggest the LDP will win a big majority in parliament's powerful 480-seat lower house.