Japan 2022 Upper House elections July 10

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Well, Kishida probably could use this boost...

[jaichind]

Minister for Economic Revitalization 山際 大志郎(Yamagiwa Daishirō) resigned after his inability to shake accusations that he is not coming clean on links to Unification Church.  When confronted with new evidence of him attending Unification Church events, he did not disclose that he just fell back on memory loss.


Also according to
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/631cf29929ae3c3de481be50da77893cee75b5c2

Legal experts say that it will take at least a year for the government to put together a case against the Unification Church to justify revoking its legal status so Kishida will continue to be dogged by the issue.


Also
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/cc743c0c30d295ea480095dd281acbc72a1c973f

It seems Kishida will meet with Unification Church victims and talk with them about their experiences. He wants to pass a bill that will offer financial support to church victims.   This might make it worse for him since he is now talking about spending government, and not LDP, money to compensate  Unification Church victims.

[jaichind]

Asahi TV interviewed foreign workers who say they have to leave Japan since the JPY has fallen so much it does not make sense anymore given how little in value they can send back to families back in their home country.


A Mainichi poll shows that by a 55-22 margin voters want the BOJ's ultra-loose monetary policy to be reviewed. 

I guess BOJ's ultra-loose monetary policy is another "gift" Abe left for Kishida in addition to Unification Church.

[jaichind]

The next headache for LDP.  The upcoming prefecture election cycle which will mostly be in Spring 2023 means that LDP will not have the vet thousands of LDP candidates for Unification Church membership and links.  Any that they miss and found out will be made into a mountain from a molehill by the opposition about the "infestation" of the Unification Church within the LDP.

https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/20221023-OYT1T50264/

[jaichind]

JRP member of the 福岡市(Fukuoka City) council was arrested for printing fake pamphlets on behalf of a likely DIY rival candidate in next year's local election boasting of the DIY rival candidate's connections with the Unification Church.  Note the pamphlet has the DIY party logo on it.


This JRP city council member must be a fool. Given the approval ratings of the Unification Church, such a pamphlet clearly must be fake.  This incident does show the JRP fear that DIY will eat into their vote in the upcoming local elections.

[jaichind]

[jaichind]

Ok.  This is a wrap for 2022.

The only relevant election left is the 茨城(Ibaraki) prefecture assembly election in Dec 2022 but I consider that part of the 2023 Japan Unfiiced Local elections cycle so I will cover that in that thread.

https://talkelections.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=528393.0

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Well, it was a wild year...here's to see what 2023 brings.
Thread, sayonara...

[Lachi]

The "add 10, take away 10" redistricting proposal passed on the 15th
https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/11/5bd15951a42a-japan-enacts-law-to-rebalance-lower-house-electoral-districts.html