While Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vowed to show the people that his ruling party has been "reborn," voters will still see familiar names on the ballot in Sunday's general election as political dynasties continue to dominate the country's political landscape.
A number of veteran lawmakers have decided to retire by not running in the Oct. 31 House of Representatives election, but many of the fresh faces voters are seeing in their constituencies have the same old names.
In Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, over 500 people including local assembly members gathered at a shrine in Higashimatsuyama on Oct. 19 where Susumu Yamaguchi, a son of 72-year-old ruling Liberal Democratic Party heavyweight Taimei Yamaguchi, kicked off his campaigning.