Dissolution in close encounters such as the metropolitan area, ‘Carefulness’
Japanese media reported on the 24th that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won four seats in the by-elections held in five local constituencies for members of the National Assembly held in Japan on the 23rd. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was defeated in the area where an explosive was thrown at Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
The Liberal Democratic Party self-evaluated that “the Kishida government received a positive evaluation from the people.” However, with the unexpected close battles in the metropolitan area and the growing support for the opposition party in the Kansai region centered on Osaka, there is a high possibility that the dissolution of the National Assembly and other political operations will be conducted cautiously in the future.
According to NHK broadcasting on the 24th, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who died in a shooting last year, was elected Shinji Yoshida, former member of the Liberal Democratic Party, Shimonoseki, with the support of former Prime Minister Akie Abe. In Yamaguchi District 2, where former Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, younger brother of former Prime Minister Abe, resigned due to health problems, Kishi Nobuchiyo (31), the son of former Defense Minister Kishi, defeated an independent candidate from the Democratic Party of Korea.
Liberal Democratic Party candidate Eri Alpiya was elected in Chiba District 5, where an LDP member resigned due to political funding issues, and LDP candidate Aki Shirasaka was elected in the Oita Prefecture (Council of Councillors) election, defeating the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party, respectively. In Wakayama District 1, where Prime Minister Kishida was attacked, a right-wing opposition party, the Japan Restoration Association, was recently selected.
In Japan, this by-election showed the nature of this year’s midterm evaluation with no large-scale elections. In Yamaguchi, which was called the ‘conservative kingdom’ and had a great influence on former Prime Minister Abe, the Liberal Democratic Party won easily, but fought a close battle by 3 percentage points in the metropolitan area (Chiba 5), which was considered the winner. In Oita Prefecture, where the opposition party is strong, a very close battle was held in which the winner was only 0.09 percentage points (341 votes) in the vote with 390,000 people, revealing the public sentiment at the bottom.
In particular, it is evaluated that the power of the Liberal Democratic Party in the region has weakened markedly as it was defeated by the Japan Restoration Society in Wakayama, Kansai, following the elections for the governors of Osaka Prefecture and Nara Prefecture two weeks ago.
The Asahi Shimbun said,
A close-knit victory that the Liberal Democratic Party cannot easily rejoice in due to close battles in all areas except former Prime Minister Abe’s constituency.
He said, “The Prime Minister’s Office is nervous that the operation of the National Assembly will change.” The Yomiuri Shimbun raised a cautious opinion, saying, “(Prime Minister Kishida) will carefully review the timing while analyzing the results of the by-election and looking at the approval rating situation.”
In Japan, the ruling party and the prime minister often strengthen their political leadership by dissolving the National Assembly at the most favorable time for them. For this reason, some in the ruling party argued that the group should be dissolved early in line with the recent rise in Prime Minister Kishida’s approval rating.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.