The ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) registered 267 candidates while the main opposition party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) registered 338 runners. The Japan Restoration Party and the Tomorrow Party of Japan, known as the third forces, registered 172 and 121 respectively.

About 49,000 polling stations across the country are open to voters and vote boxes will be sealed at 8:00 p.m. local time. The result is expected on early Monday at earliest.

Japan's lower house was dissolved by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Nov. 16.

According to the latest polls, the LDP is expected to grab a big win as the party and its ally, the New Komeito Party will together secure more than 300 seats in the election. However, the ruling party, headed by Noda, is likely to get around 60 seats, compared with its current 230 seats.

The LDP pledged to boost Japan's economy by setting a 3 percent inflation target to combat the country's continuous deflation. It will also exert more pressure on the Bank of Japan to adopt currency easing policies.

The LDP also aims at revising the country's pacifist constitution so as to upgrade the Self-Defense Forces into a national army and allow the country to use collective self-defense rights.

The party vowed to phase out nuclear energy in the 2030s and will not construct new nuclear power facilities.

It also promised to create more than 4 million jobs in the fields such as new energy and health care and to achieve a two- percent GDP growth rate by the year of 2020.

Meanwhile, vote for Tokyo gubernatorial election also kicked off on Sunday, aiming at choosing a successor to Shintaro Ishihara, who suddenly quitted the post as the governor of Tokyo and turned to the general election.

Former Tokyo Vice governor Naoki Inose, who was recommended by Ishihara, was leading in the race against other eight runners, according to polls.

His major rivals include Kenji Utsunomiya, a former head of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, Shigefumi Matsuzawa, former Kanagawa governor and Takashi Sasagawa, a retired lawmaker of the LDP.