There were two by-elections in Japan on Sunday:
- one for a lower house seat
- one for an upper house seat
the ruling Liberal Democratic Party won the lower house (House of Representatives) seat but lost in the House of Councillors poll, whiohc was taken by an opposition-backed independent candidate.
The LDP had hoped to retain the two seats. However, approval ratings for Kishida's Cabinet have plunged to their lowest levels since he assumed power in October 2021.
The by-elections were the first national contests since Kishida revamped his Cabinet in mid-September in a bid to refresh the image of his government.
There had been speculation that Kishida would dissolve the lower house and call a general election by the end of this year if the LDP won both seats. But the consequences of Sunday's polls make that more difficult, people close to him said.
Japan PM Kishida
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USD/JPY is circa 149.80, not a lot changed on the date.
Earlier: