Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he would not call a snap election after his Liberal Democratic Party won four of five seats on Sunday. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI. | License photo
April 24 (UPI) — Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party won four of five seats in Sunday’s election, and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida dismissed rumors he would dissolve the lower house and call for early elections.
Although the LPD won seats, four victories in the Lower House and one in the Upper House appeared to be smaller than expected, strengthening the party’s hold on Japanese politics. Kishida on Monday allayed fears of a possible snap election.
New elections for both chambers of the House are scheduled only in 2025.
“Since we have to carry out important policies one by one, I am not considering [a Lower House] liquidation and general election right now,” Kishida said.
The Liberal Democratic Party’s lone defeat came against the New Japan Innovation Party’s candidate in western Japan. The LDP has won all its elections against Japan’s main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party.
Chiba no. In the District 5 Lower House race, LDP’s Arifya Eri won 50,578 votes compared to 45,635 for CDP’s Kentaro Yazaki. LDP’s Aki Shirasaka also edged out DCP’s Tadamoto Yoshida by just 341 votes in the Oita Upper House race.
“We were given more seats than we had,” Kishida said. “I take it as voters encouraging the LDP to pursue its policy priorities.”
The LDP’s victory comes less than two weeks after Kishida escaped injury in an incident in western Japan where a man threw a bomb during a campaign speech.
One police officer suffered minor injuries in the incident at Saikazaki Port in Wakayama Prefecture.
