Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga answers questions from reporters in Cornwall, Britain, on June 13 after the conclusion of the Group of Seven summit. (Kotaro Ebara)
CORNWALL, Britain Facing intense criticism at home, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga reiterated he is prioritizing the acceleration of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign and other anti-virus measures over talks of a possible snap Lower House election.
“My top priority is grappling with the coronavirus,” Suga told reporters after the Group of Seven summit wrapped up here on June 13.
In Japan, the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan is threatening to submit a no-confidence motion against the Suga Cabinet, demanding that the current Diet session be extended well beyond June 16, the last day of the scheduled session.
Apr 26, 2021
OSAKA – Sunday’s triple victory by opposition-backed candidates in Hokkaido, Nagano and Hiroshima by-elections had been predicted by local media before the polls closed and may have little immediate impact on the national political landscape.
But the Hiroshima loss in particular could spell trouble for Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and the ruling parties in the coming weeks as they look to boost their popularity ahead of a general election, which must be held before October.
“Regarding yesterday’s elections, I humbly accept the judgment of voters,” Suga said Monday morning.
In the Hiroshima Upper House race, Haruko Miyaguchi, a 45-year-old former broadcaster backed by the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP), the Democratic Party for the People (DPP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), beat Hidenori Nishita, a 39-year-old former trade ministry official endorsed by the Liberal Democratic Party and backed by Komeito. She got 370,860 vote
Japanese opposition parties won all three by-elections for parliamentary seats in a blow for Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who must hold a general election within six months.
The by-elections held on Sunday were the first of their kind for Suga since he became prime minister in September last year.
Two of the races one in the northern island of Hokkaido and another in Hiroshima were to replace ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmakers who stepped down over graft charges. The LDP did not field a candidate in the Hokkaido election.
The opposition also won a third election in the
Fukushima water release to be key issue in general election Sorry, but your browser needs Javascript to use this site. If you re not sure how to activate it, please refer to this site: https://www.enable-javascript.com/
People protest in front of the Prime Minister s Office on Tuesday against the government s decision to release treated radioactive water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant into the sea. | KYODO
Jiji Apr 14, 2021
The government’s decision to release into the ocean treated radioactive water from the disaster-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant is expected to be a key issue in the next general election.