Voters in Japan recently participated in Lower House by-elections in three districts, including Shimane No. 1, Nagasaki No. 3, and Tokyo No. 15. These elections are significant as they serve as a gauge for assessing the Kishida administration's handling of a slush fund scandal that beset the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
One of the focal points of these by-elections is the Shimane No. 1 district, where the LDP and the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan are engaged in a closely watched head-to-head contest. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and CDP leader Kenta Izumi visited Shimane to show support for their respective candidates, highlighting the importance of this election in shaping future political strategies.
In the Tokyo No. 15 district, multiple candidates from different parties are competing for the seat left vacant by a former LDP member convicted of violating election laws. Similarly, the Nagasaki No. 3 district is seeing a by-election due to the resignation of a former member involved in a slush fund case, with candidates from the CDP and Nippon Ishin parties in the running for the position.