Prime Minister Fumio Kishida faced a setback as his ruling Liberal Democratic Party suffered a defeat in a crucial by-election held in a long-standing LDP stronghold. The by-election, held in the Shimane No. 1 district, saw the LDP candidate, Norimasa Nishikori, lose to Akiko Kamei of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, adding to the woes of the ruling party.
The LDP's defeat in Shimane highlighted the challenges they faced following a damaging slush fund scandal involving party factions and their fundraising activities. The LDP, reeling from the scandal, did not field candidates in two other districts, Nagasaki No. 3 and Tokyo No. 15, where scandals had forced LDP lawmakers to resign. These scandals were associated with the accumulation of substantial slush funds, further denting the image of the ruling party.