Overview

• LDP-Komeito favor one-off cash transfers to households while opposition parties press for consumption tax reductions to combat inflation.
• Defense-related spending climbed to 1.8% of GDP in the current fiscal year as the government pursues a path to raise it to 2% by FY2027 under its national security strategy.
• Wakayama’s single-member district has drawn seven new contenders, marking a rare competitive race in a prefecture long dominated by the LDP.
• A lawmaker’s assertion that older women cannot bear children has provoked public criticism and intensified election discourse on women’s rights.
• Senior party figures, including former prime ministers and opposition leaders, are touring key regions such as Kumamoto to shore up support in pivotal single-seat constituencies.