Tokyo (Japan), 7 February (LaPresse/AP) – Polls have opened in Japan for parliamentary elections that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hopes will secure her ruling party a large enough victory to allow it to push forward with an ambitious conservative political agenda. Record snowfall in northern Japan in recent weeks, which has blocked roads and caused dozens of casualties across the country, could hamper voting operations or delay the counting of votes in the worst-hit areas.