TOKYO — Voting has begun in Japanese parliamentary elections expected to put the once-dominant conservatives back in power after a three-year break amid widespread voter dismay with the Democrats.

Major newspapers predict the vote will give the Liberal Democratic Party, led by the ex-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a majority in the 480-seat lower house.

Many have soured on the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, which won a landslide victory in 2009 but could not deliver on a string of campaign pledges and passed legislation to double the sales tax.