Exit polls showed former Shimonoseki Mayor Kiyoshi Ejima headed for victory Sunday in the House of Councilors by-election in Yamaguchi Prefecture, boosting the chances of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party gaining control of both houses of the Diet this summer.
Kyodo News projections saw Ejima, 56, clinching the four-way contest, which means the ruling coalition will need to win 63 seats in July to gain control of the Upper House, where half of the 242 seats will be up for grabs.
The closely watched poll in Yamaguchi — Abe's base — provided the first chance to gauge voter sentiment on the new government launched just four months ago.