Official campaigning for the April 28 Upper House by-election in Yamaguchi Prefecture began Thursday, with former Justice Minister Hideo Hiraoka, backed by the Democratic Party of Japan, challenging a newcomer from the Liberal Democratic Party.
The House of Councilors by-election will be the first Diet election since the LDP regained power from the DPJ in the December general election, making it the first national-level electoral test for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose electoral base is in Yamaguchi.
Expected to be a fight between Hiraoka, 59, who lost his House of Representatives seat in the December election, and the LDP's Kiyoshi Ejima, a former Shimonoseki mayor, the race will be closely watched as a prelude to the Upper House poll scheduled for July.