Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's ruling bloc on Sunday won key gubernatorial elections, with its candidates defeating their rivals backed by the leading opposition party in the first round of nationwide local polls.
The victories, such as that of Hokkaido incumbent Gov. Naomichi Suzuki, may bode well for Kishida and his Liberal Democratic Party amid speculation that he could dissolve the Lower House for a snap election at an early date.
In Oita Prefecture, Kiichiro Sato, supported by the LDP, and Kiyoshi Adachi were in a close battle. Adachi won his parliamentary seat in 2019 with the backing of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. But Sato, a former mayor of its capital city, defeated the former Upper House opposition lawmaker.