Tokyo, 9 April, /AJMEDIA/
Voters are casting their ballots to select governors, mayors and assembly members in local elections held across Japan on Sunday.
The results of the polls, due out later in the day, could affect Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s decision on when to dissolve the lower house for a snap election, analysts said. He is scheduled to host a Group of Seven summit in his constituency of Hiroshima in May.
Among the nine gubernatorial races, incumbents and new faces supported by the ruling coalition led by Kishida’s Liberal Democratic Party square off with candidates backed by opposition parties in Hokkaido, Osaka, Nara and Oita prefectures.
In Kanagawa, Fukui, Tottori and Shimane, incumbents endorsed by ruling and opposition camps are competing with candidates fielded by the Japanese Communist Party or those running as independents.
The LDP, meanwhile, failed to put up single candidates in Nara and Tokushima amid a feud in the conservative party.
Mayoral races in six major cities, alongside local assembly polls in 41 prefectures and 17 big cities, are also being held as part of the first round of unified local elections, carried out every four years.
Another round of quadrennial local races, designed to cut administrative costs and raise voter turnout, will be conducted on April 23 to select mayors and assembly members in other municipalities nationwide, and will coincide with by-elections for five vacant seats in parliament.
The latest local elections come as approval ratings for Kishida’s Cabinet have shown signs of improving, sparking speculation that the premier could dissolve the lower house in the not-so-distant future.
Under Japan’s Constitution, a prime minister has the final say on the dissolution of the lower house. The current four-year terms for lower house members expire in October 2025, unless Kishida opts to dissolve the chamber.
Kishida, who took office in October 2021, has been exploring the best timing to win a general election, as he is eager to be re-elected as leader of the ruling party. The next LDP presidential race is slated to be held in September 2024.
Media polls show that the support rate for Kishida’s Cabinet has picked up recently, especially since he made an unannounced visit on March 21 to Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia more than a year ago, for talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
