Voter turnout in the July 20th Upper House election rose significantly, with the nationwide average reaching 58.51%, up 6.46 points from the previous election's 52.05%, according to figures released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
In the Upper House election held on Sunday, veteran politician Muneo Suzuki, who ran under the banner of a "final battle," made a dramatic turnaround that surprised even his supporters.
The results of the House of Councillors election held on July 20th have been finalized, with the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komeito winning a combined total of 47 seats, falling short of the 50 needed for a majority in the upper chamber.
Japan's Environment Ministry on July 19th transported soil generated during decontamination efforts in Fukushima Prefecture—following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster—to the front garden of the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo's Nagatacho district.
As candidates in the upcoming House of Councillors election increasingly emphasize policies targeting foreign nationals, social media has seen a surge in claims—denied by the government—that foreigners are unfairly benefiting from Japan's welfare system.
The government has launched a new command organization under the Cabinet Secretariat to oversee foreign resident policies, aiming to strengthen responses to crimes and nuisance behavior involving foreigners.
The ruling coalition is facing an increasingly difficult battle to retain its majority in Japan’s House of Councillors, according to a mid-campaign opinion poll by FNN ahead of the July 20th election. Meanwhile, the minor party Sanseitō is showing strong momentum and could see a significant boost in its number of seats.
With Japan facing a labor shortage due to its aging population, immigration policy has emerged as a key issue in the upcoming Upper House election in July. On July 9th, the topic was discussed in depth by news program “It!”, which highlighted public concerns and political stances regarding the role of foreign nationals in Japanese society.