Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga answers questions from reporters on April 26 about the results of three Diet elections held the previous day. (Koichi Ueda)
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party suffered defeats in all three parliamentary elections held on April 25, the first national-level polls since Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga took office in September.
In particular, the LDP’s loss of the Upper House re-election in Hiroshima Prefecture, which was held in the wake of an unprecedented vote-buying scandal, underscored harsh public criticism of money politics.
Suga should take the message from voters seriously and make a sweeping review of his governing approach.
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
Voters listen to a speech by a candidate running for a seat in the Upper House re-election in Hiroshima’s Naka Ward on April 21. (Jun Ueda)
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s Liberal Democratic Party was left reeling April 25 after it lost two key Diet elections in Hiroshima and Nagano Prefectures.
They were the first polls to be held at the national level since Suga replaced Shinzo Abe as prime minister last September.
As the LDP could not field a candidate in a third national-level election held the same day in Hokkaido, the opposition camp was able to seize all three seats.
Voting for three Diet seats kicks off in bellwether for Suga 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/
Voters cast their ballots for an Upper House by-election in the city of Nagano on Sunday. | KYODO
KYODO Apr 25, 2021
Voting began Sunday for three vacant seats in the Diet, with the outcomes possibly impacting Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s leadership status and the timing of a general election that must be held by fall.
The elections for Upper House seats in Hiroshima and Nagano constituencies and a Lower House seat in Hokkaido are the first national contests since Suga took office last September.
LDP to lose all three by-elections, dealing heavy blow to Suga japantimes.co.jp - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from japantimes.co.jp Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.