TOKYO: October’s by-elections for the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors will be the first national elections since Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reshuffled his cabinet and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership team last week, and will be a touchstone for the future of the new administration.

The results of the by-elections to be held in the Nagasaki No. 4 Lower House constituency and the Tokushima-Kochi Upper House district are expected to influence Kishida’s strategy for dissolving the Lower House for a general election.

The Nagasaki by-election follows the death of LDP lawmaker Seigo Kitamura, former minister in charge of regional revitalization, in May, while the Tokushima-Kochi by-election comes after then LDP lawmaker Kojiro Takano resigned in June over his violence against a former secretary.

Both by-elections will be held on Oct. 22.

In the Nagasaki constituency, the LDP is aiming to defend its seat by fielding a newcomer. The opposition camp is backing a candidate from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, who currently has a proportional representation seat in the Lower House.

With the Nagasaki by-election expected to be a one-on-one battle, a senior LDP official said, “We cannot let our guard down.”

In the Tokushima-Kochi district, the LDP will field a former Kochi prefectural assembly member, while the fallout from the violence scandal lingers.

Meanwhile, a former CDP lawmaker will run as an independent in the Tokushima-Kochi district after serving two terms in the Upper House and one term in the Lower House. Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party) is also preparing to enter the race.

By winning both by-elections, Kishida apparently hopes to stabilize his power base and have a free hand to dissolve the all-important lower chamber of the Diet for a general election.

Yuko Obuchi, the newly appointed chair of the LDP’s Election Strategy Committee, is expected to be the party’s face in the by-elections.

Within the ruling party, meanwhile, some are concerned that the Kishida administration will face difficulties unless the LDP wins both by-elections.

The by-elections will also be a test for the main opposition CDP, which has been suffering from sluggish public support. On Friday, CDP leader Kenta Izumi told reporters that the party is determined to win the by-elections.

JIJI Press