This month, the Japanese public will be going to the ballot boxes to vote for members of Japan’s Upper House.
In the past, these elections have been moderately important — and far less so compared to Lower House votes. However, based on the current state of politics in Tokyo, this is the most consequential Upper House election since 2007, when the outcome catalyzed the toppling of the Liberal Democratic Party-led government.
The stakes in this election are equally as high as they were back then. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba needs a win to secure longer-term viability as the country’s leader. The ruling coalition is already struggling with a minority government and stands to lose even more legislative power in this vote. As for the opposition parties, this election is a battle to do something they have long been unable to do: position themselves as the standout alternative to the LDP. They all now have less than three weeks to win over the Japanese public.
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