Official campaigning for Japanese general elections to begin
Campaigning ahead of the Japanese parliamentary election is set to begin today.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced on October 4 that the election would be held on October 31. The election was originally planned for early November, but was moved to allow campaigning to begin sooner to capitalize on an uptick in support for Kishida’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) following improvements in COVID-19 in Japan and the replacement of PM Yoshihide Suga. Kishida also said that he hopes to secure a mandate soon after the launch of his cabinet to be able to effectively address the pandemic and the economy.
Expect the elections to favor the LDP and for Kishida to retain his office. The LDP already controls more seats than the next two largest parties combined and is expected gain even more traction. In the medium to long-term, expect the government to reflect the highly technocratic nature of the LDP. Though Kishida takes a more progressive stance on wealth redistribution and a more dovish stance on China than most of the LDP, he remains moderate, and will likely focus on the main party priorities of export based economic development, tax reform, and cooperation with the US on foreign policy.
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