Japan's ruling bloc fears becoming 'minority ruling coalition' in upper house as well July 10, 2025 (Mainichi Japan) Japanese version Voters listen to the speeches of a candidate and others in Osaka's Kita Ward on July 3
ブランド時計コピー 2025
ブランドスーパーコピー as campaigning for the House of Councillors election officially got underway. A monument of Myaku-Myaku, the official mascot character for the Osaka Expo, is seen in the background. (Mainichi/Yuichi Nakagawa) TOKYO -- The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior partner Komeito face descending into a "minority ruling coalition" in the House of Councillors just as they already are in the House of Representatives if the number of seats they acquire in the July 20 upper house election falls below 50, potentially driving Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's administration into a corner. "It's a close battle contesting whether the LDP-Komeito coalition will lose a majority in the upper house," said an individual close to the LDP after analyzing the situation in the early stages of the campaign, betraying a sense of urgency. There are 32 constituencies nationwide where one seat each is up for grabs this election, and these hold the key to deciding the outcome of the poll. The LDP, however, has been struggling in these constituencies, according to Mainichi Shimbun surveys on the early phase of the election climate. In a special opinion poll conducted by the Mainichi over the weekend, the LDP was in the lead in only nine of the 32 constituencies, while opposition and independent candidates were dominating the races in 16 constituencies. The LDP and Komeito were also struggling in constituencies where two or more seats are contested, due to the repercussions of a number of candidates crowding the race in those constituencies. The rapid rise of the minor opposition party Sanseito is affecting the situation, forming a disturbing factor for the electoral landscape. In the previous 2022 upper house election called under the then Fumio Kishida administration, the LDP scored a landslide victory, taking 28 of the constituencies where one seat each was contested while losing four. This led the LDP to secure 63 seats overall, or a single-party majority of the contested seats. In the five upper house polls called since 2010, the LDP won 20 or more such constituencies each time. If the party takes fewer than 10 such constituencies this time, it will mark the first such setback since the 2007 election where the LDP scored six wins and 23 losses. The crushing defeat that year led then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to step down, ending his short-lived first administration. During a stump speech in the Yamanashi Prefecture capital Kofu on July 6, Prime Minister Ishiba stressed in a hoarse voice, "This election is fairly tough. Please lend us support for the sake of Japan and the next generation." In the Yamanashi constituency, where one seat is contested, the LDP triumphed both in the 2019 and 2022 upper house contests. This time around, the incumbent LDP candidate is racing neck and neck with a former governor running on the ticket of the Democratic Party for the People (DPFP), with another newcomer from Sanseito trailing behind. One of the contributing factors to the LDP's uphill battle is the presence of Sanseito, which advocates highly conservative policies and has fielded its candidates in all of 45 constituencies. The party has gained a certain level of support in each constituency, and "the bedrock conservatives that have heretofore supported the LDP are turning to Sanseito," noted a senior ruling coalition official. While Sanseito had not caught that much attention ahead of the upper house race, the party showed its momentum in the June Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election, and "is snatching LDP-affiliated votes like troops in ambush," an individual associated with the ruling coalition said, with a gloomy look on their face over a severer situation than expected. In the Toyama constituency, the incumbent LDP candidate who had won big in the 2019 upper house contest by securing twice as many votes as those for the runner-up
時計コピー is being closely trailed by a newcomer backed by the DPFP. The LDP is also experiencing a close contest in the Saga, Kumamoto, Tochigi and Okayama constituencies, previously considered favorable to the LDP. An LDP candidate running in a constituency where one seat is contested expressed their fear about Sanseito, saying, "The party has this unknown formidableness. It is chipping away at conservative votes
スーパーコピー財布 making it difficult for me to deal with them." Meanwhile, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) and other opposition parties have coordinated to unify candidates in constituencies where a single seat is contested. There are only three constituencies where the CDP, the DPFP and Nippon Ishin (the Japan Innovation Party) are vying with each other -- Nara, Fukui and Shiga -- where an LDP candidate is leading the respective race. In many of the remaining 29 constituencies where the three opposition parties have managed to unify their candidates, opposition or independent candidates are either taking the lead or engaging in a close race with LDP candidates. The three opposition parties are competing with the Japanese Communist Party in some constituencies, but its impact is limited. This contrasts with the LDP, which sees conservative votes being split as it faces off against Sanseito in all constituencies. The LDP slush fund scandal involving its faction fundraising parties is also casting a deep shadow over the election. The incumbent LDP candidates in the Fukushima, Mie and Miyazaki constituencies, who were involved in the scandal, have merely cemented support from roughly 40% to 50% of voters in favor of the LDP and Komeito, respectively. Although the LDP conquered these three constituencies in the 2019 and 2022 elections, it is either trailing behind or battling closely with opposition parties this election. Komeito has forgone endorsing seven of the 10 candidates hit by the money scandal who are running in the Miyazaki, Fukushima and Mie and other constituencies, making it difficult for the party to secure organized votes. In the Tohoku region in Japan's northeast, opposition parties are gaining an edge in constituencies except for Fukushima, where ruling and opposition candidates are racing head to head. While the Ishiba administration has adopted measures to lower rice prices through the release of government stockpiled rice and other steps in response to soaring prices for the grain, farmers are wary of such policies, and this has likely led to the sluggish support for the LDP in the Akita, Miyagi, Yamagata and other constituencies that are home to major rice belts. (Japanese original by Megu Koyama
新作ブランドコピー Satoru Suzuki and Minami Nomaguchi, Political News Department) Font Size SML Print Go to The Mainichi Home Page Related Articles Japan's LDP-Komeito coalition struggling to retain upper house majority: Mainichi survey Read more about the 2025 Japan House of Councillors election
