Anger is spreading across Japan ahead of next month's Upper House election, which will likely determine the fate of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government over the years to come.
Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito hope to win at least 61 of the 121 seats that will be contested in the July 10 election. The opposition camp, including the Democratic Party and the Japanese Communist Party, say they will do everything in their power to prevent the ruling coalition from gaining the majority of the seats that will be up for grabs.
The latest in a series of events that infuriated many Japanese voters was the spending scandal that forced Tokyo Gov. Yoichi Masuzoe to resign in disgrace last week. Masuzoe, a popular scholar-turned-politician, was sharply criticized for paying his personal travel and entertainment expenses out of funds intended for his political activities.