Overview

• With voting set for October 4, the party urged members who mail ballots to post them by October 1 as campaigns pivot from rallies to securing Diet members’ votes.
• All five contenders sparred in a NicoNico debate, voicing varying mixes of firmness on security and selective cooperation with Beijing on economics, climate and health.
• Reports from street events describe subdued crowds and a disconnect from voters coping with prolonged price pressures and political fatigue.
• Plans for a unified opposition choice in the post‑election prime minister vote remain uncertain, while Japan Innovation Party and Democratic Party for the People weigh cooperation with the ruling camp to advance policy priorities.
• Local politics moved in parallel as Engaru re‑elected incumbent Shuichi Sasaki, Tonaki held its mayoral vote after 60.31% early turnout, and a Naha councilors’ survey found 14 of 39 viewed a colleague’s transgender‑related remarks as problematic with 12 calling for council action.