Overview

• In Sunday’s Tokyo metropolitan assembly election, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party secured just 21 seats, marking its lowest-ever performance.
• Observers view the outcome as a barometer for the Upper House elections tentatively set for July 20, where Ishiba aims to preserve his coalition majority.
• The ruling party’s popularity has been hampered by soaring inflation and high rice prices, despite a modest boost in support from recent rice price measures.
• Local media have speculated that another major electoral setback could trigger a change in the LDP’s leadership.
• A record 295 candidates ran in the election, including 99 women, highlighting both progress and persistent challenges in Japan’s political gender gap.