Japan votes in test for new PM Kishida, political stability

Tokyo: Japanese voters went to the polls on Sunday to decide whether to endorse the conservative government of Fumio Kishida or weaken the new prime minister and possibly return the world’s third-largest economy to a period of political uncertainty.
The vote is a test for Kishida, who called the election soon after taking the top post early this month, and for his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has been battered by its perceived mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Already, Kishida has struggled to advance policies to help poorer people, while securing a big boost in military spending and taking a harder line on China.
With his lacklustre image failing to inspire voters, the LDP is on the brink of losing its majority in the lower house of parliament for the first time since 2009, opinion polls show, although its coalition with junior partner Komeito will stay in power.
“It’s hard to say the pandemic is completely snuffed out and society is stable, so we shouldn’t have any big changes in coronavirus policy,” said Naoki Okura, a doctor, after voting in Tokyo.
“Rather than demanding a change in government, I think we should demand continuity.”