Arab News Japan

TOKYO: KAMEI Akiko and two other candidates from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan were victorious in the three by-elections held in Japan on Sunday.

Kamei won the House of Representatives by-election in Shimane No. 1 district which was a confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties.

The Tokyo No. 15 and Nagasaki No. 3 races were also won by the CDP, whose candidates didn’t face opposition from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in those constituencies. In Tokyo, SAKAI Natsumi, who was endorsed by the CDP and supported by the Japanese Communist Party, won from a field of nine candidates.

In Nagasaki, the CDP’s YAMADA Katsuhiko beat Nippon Ishin challenger INOUE Shoichiro.

Since the introduction of the single-seat constituency system in House of Representatives elections, the LDP has dominated seats in Shimane Prefecture. This was its first defeat.

Kamei, 58 years old, previously served one term as a member of the House of Representatives and one term as a member of the House of Councilors but lost her seat in the last House of Representatives election three years ago. Shimane Ward 1 was the only by-election in which the ruling and opposition parties competed against each other.

In the election campaign, Kamei criticized the LDP’s political funds scandal, called for drastic changes to the law, and emphasized efforts to address population decline and enhance public assistance in areas such as transportation and medical care. As a result, she attracted widespread support from supporters of the Constitutional Democratic Party, other opposition parties and so-called non-partisan groups, as well as some support from the Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito.

“I was able to win the election with the support of many people,” Kamei said. “I think it was based on anger over the LDP’s slush fund issue. I think the results in Shimane Prefecture, which has been called the ‘Conservative Kingdom,’ will send a strong message to the Kishida administration.”

Akiko Kamei once served as a member in the Japan-UAE parliamentary friendship association and was active in boosting the bilateral relations with the UAE and Arab countries.