Prime Minister Fumio Kishida filled all 54 junior ministerial positions with men following his recent Cabinet reshuffle, in sharp contrast to the senior ministers’ lineup and its record-tying five women.
Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party) sacked a lawmaker from the Upper House Committee on Judicial Affairs after she came under fire for suggesting a Sri Lankan woman who died in an immigration detention center might have faked her illness.
At an election campaign rally featuring the sobbing widow of a slain prominent politician, a gaffe in a speech prompted laughter at what had been a somber event.
Campaigning officially began on April 11 for four Lower House by-elections, with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party trying to retain the three seats its candidates won in the 2021 Lower House election.