Few candidates campaigning in the July 10 Upper House election are even bothering to pitch COVID-19 as an issue, reflecting dwindling interest among voters as new cases have yet to hit alarming levels.
The official campaigning begins in Japan for the House of Councillors election on July 10, as the ruling and opposition parties rush to address inflation concerns and spar over whether a more robust defense posture is necessary in the wake of Russia s war on Ukraine.
Campaigning kicked off June 22 for the Upper House election that will give voters their first opportunity to assess the Kishida administration’s performance since it took power eight months ago, with skyrocketing increases in consumer prices and fuel due to the weakening yen being a key issue.