Upcoming By-elections to Test Kishida Administration

Apr 16, 2024 | News On Japan

TOKYO - Official campaigning for three House of Representatives by-elections began in Japan on Tuesday, with the races to serve as crucial tests of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's leadership as he seeks to ride out a political funds scandal that has rocked his ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

Up for grabs in the votes on April 28 are seats in three electoral districts in Tokyo as well as in Shimane and Nagasaki prefectures, all of which were held by the LDP before becoming vacant.

Facing headwinds following the scandal that exposed massive undeclared funds distributed among its lawmakers, the LDP has decided not to field candidates in the Tokyo No. 15 and Nagasaki No. 3 districts, focusing instead on defending the seat in the Shimane No. 1 district of the western prefecture, considered a conservative stronghold.

Typhoon No. 25 Nears Kanto With Powerful Winds and Heavy Rain

Large and powerful Typhoon No. 25 was moving north toward the Izu Islands and Kanto on September 21, with destructive winds and torrential rain forecast as the storm makes its closest approach through the evening and night, while at 5 a.m. it was located about 220 kilometers southwest of Hachijojima and moving north at 20 kilometers per hour.

Typhoon Causes Widespread Transport Disruption Across Kanto

Transport disruption across Kanto had widened sharply by late morning on September 21 as large and strong Typhoon No. 25 approached the region, with hundreds of flights canceled at Haneda and Narita airports, railway services suspended across large parts of Chiba Prefecture, sections of major expressways closed and the Tokaido Shinkansen facing the possibility of sudden service suspensions.

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