Polling for crucial Japan local elections begins

By Anadolu Staff

ANKARA (AA) – Polling began on Sunday in Japan to elect governors, mayors and assembly members in local elections held across the country, local media reported.

Among the nine gubernatorial races, the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and the opposition parties have fielded a combination of incumbents and new faces in Hokkaido, Osaka, Nara and Oita prefectures, the local Kyodo News agency reported.

Candidates, mostly incumbents supported by the ruling and the opposition parties, are competing with candidates fielded by the Japanese Communist Party or independents in Kanagawa, Fukui, Tottori and Shimane.

The ruling party, however, failed to put up single candidates in Nara and Tokushima, following a dispute in the 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 polls, carried out every four years, the news agency reported.

Another round of quadrennial local races, designed to cut administrative costs and raise voter turnout, will be held on April 23 to elect mayors and assembly members in other municipalities nationwide. It will coincide with by-elections for five vacant seats in Parliament.

- Results to decide Parliament's fate

The election results, which are due out later in the day, could affect Kishida's decision on when to dissolve the lower house for a snap election, analysts said.

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 near future, the news agency reported.

According to 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 who took office in October 2021, opts to dissolve the chamber.

Kishida, who is eager to be re-elected as the LDP leader, has been exploring the best timing to win a general election.

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 for talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the news agency said.