[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) suffered a complete defeat in the by-elections for three seats in the House of Representatives and House of Councillors. As a result, the Suga Yoshihide Cabinet, whose approval ratings have significantly dropped due to poor COVID-19 response and scandals involving close aides, is expected to face inevitable setbacks.
According to NHK and other Japanese media on the 26th, the LDP lost all contests in the by-elections held on the 25th for the House of Representatives Hokkaido 2nd district, the House of Councillors Nagano electoral district, and the House of Councillors Hiroshima electoral district.
The Hokkaido 2nd district for the House of Representatives was formerly held by former Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Yoshikawa Takamori of the LDP. He resigned from his parliamentary seat after being indicted in January this year on charges of accepting bribes totaling 5 million yen (approximately 50 million KRW) from an egg company three times between November 2018 and August 2019 during his tenure. Yoshikawa is known as a close aide to Prime Minister Suga.
This seat was won by Matsuki Genko (62), a candidate from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP).
The LDP acknowledged responsibility for the 'politics and money' issues in Hokkaido 2nd district and did not field a candidate, making the outcome clear early on.
Although the LDP nominated candidates in the Nagano and Hiroshima electoral districts, they were ultimately defeated.
The House of Councillors Nagano electoral district by-election was held to fill the vacancy left by the late Hata Yuichiro, a CDP member who died of COVID-19 in December last year. Hata's younger brother, Hata Jiro (51), a CDP newcomer, defeated LDP newcomer Gotatsu Yutaka (59).
The Hiroshima electoral district, considered the fiercest battleground among the three by-elections, was previously held by former LDP member Kawai Anri, who resigned after being convicted of violating the Public Offices Election Law by conspiring with her husband, former Justice Minister Kawai Katsuyuki, to distribute money and gifts to local influential figures during the 2019 election campaign.
In Hiroshima, opposition joint candidate Miyaguchi Haruko (45) narrowly defeated LDP candidate Nishita Hidenori (39).
With the LDP's complete defeat in this mid-term evaluation-like election, red lights have been lit on the possibility of the Suga Cabinet's long-term rule.
In Japan's parliamentary system, the leader of the majority party serves as Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Suga was elected to fill the vacancy after former Prime Minister Abe resigned due to health reasons, with his term lasting until September 30 of this year, the remainder of Abe's term. The current House of Representatives term expires on October 21.
Therefore, the LDP presidential election must be held before September this year.
Since taking office, Prime Minister Suga has faced political pressure due to criticism over inadequate COVID-19 response amid rapid spread and successive scandals involving his close aides.
In this context, the ruling party's defeat in the by-elections is likely to fuel skepticism within the LDP about continuing under the Suga leadership for the next general election.
The Sankei Shimbun evaluated, "The ruling party's complete defeat in the first national election since the launch of the Suga administration is a blow to the Prime Minister's governance."
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